Food and wine pairing

Rack of lamb with garrigue honey and rosemary, and AOP Pic Saint-Loup

Name: Rack of lamb roasted with garrigue honey and rosemary, garlic baby potatoes
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Languedoc — Pic Saint-Loup
Ingredients: 2 six-bone racks of lamb (about 1.2 kg in total); 40 g garrigue honey; 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary; 2 cl red wine vinegar; 4 cl olive oil; 6 unpeeled garlic cloves; 600 g baby potatoes; 10 cl water; Fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper

North of Montpellier, the garrigue of Pic Saint-Loup smells of thyme, rosemary and wild honey. This roast rack of lamb, glazed with honey and scented with rosemary, captures those aromas for a special family meal. It finds a natural partner in Méridiès AOP Pic Saint-Loup.

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Food and wine pairings
Rack of lamb with garrigue honey and rosemary, and AOP Pic Saint-Loup

The recipe

Rack of lamb roasted with garrigue honey and rosemary, garlic baby potatoes

Serves 4Preparation 20 minCooking 35 min

Ingredients

2 six-bone racks of lamb (about 1.2 kg in total)
40 g garrigue honey
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 cl red wine vinegar
4 cl olive oil
6 unpeeled garlic cloves
600 g baby potatoes
10 cl water
Fleur de sel and freshly ground pepper

Method

1
Take the racks out of the fridge 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 200 °C.
2
Wash the baby potatoes without peeling them and halve the larger ones. Put them in a roasting dish with 2 cl of olive oil, the unpeeled garlic cloves, a sprig of rosemary, salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes.
3
Strip and finely chop two sprigs of rosemary. Mix with the honey and the red wine vinegar.
4
Season the racks with salt and pepper. In a hot frying pan with the rest of the oil, sear them for 3 to 4 minutes fat side down, then for 1 minute on each other side.
5
Generously brush the meat and fat with the honey mixture, keeping back a spoonful for the sauce.
6
Place the racks, bones upwards, on the potatoes and roast for 15 to 18 minutes for pink meat (56 to 58 °C at the core).
7
Remove the meat, cover with a sheet of foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Leave the potatoes in the switched-off oven.
8
Deglaze the searing pan with 10 cl of water and the reserved honey mixture, scrape up the caramelised juices and reduce for 3 minutes until syrupy.
9
Cut the racks between the bones and serve two or three cutlets per person with the potatoes, the confit garlic and a drizzle of jus. Sprinkle with fleur de sel.

Why this pairing works

AOP Pic Saint-Loup

Méridiès AOP Pic Saint-Loup combines Syrah and Grenache grown on limestone and marl. Its deep ruby colour heralds aromas of black fruit, garrigue and liquorice, which the rosemary and garrigue honey in the dish echo without ever masking them. The generous yet fresh palate has just the structure needed to match the tender flesh and roasted fat of the lamb, while its freshness lightens the sweetness of the glaze. Finally, the toasty touch on the finish answers the caramelised juices from the searing: the wine and the dish speak the same Mediterranean language.

Open the bottle half an hour before the meal and serve it at around 16 °C. The rack can be replaced by a shoulder of lamb, slow-roasted with the same herbs.

Buy this wine Elsewhere in Languedoc

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