'Noisettes' refer to the medallions that are made when a loin of lamb is wrapped in a thin layer of fat and then sliced – this can be before or after the meat is cooked. To prepare a noisette of lamb it is necessary to begin with a rack of lamb, as this is where the thin layer of fat is from.
Method
1
Take the rack from the fridge and while cold, remove the bark (thin skin) using either your fingers or a knife
2
Carefully remove the layer of fat, making sure that it comes off in one even piece
3
Cover the fat with some baking paper and using a rolling pin, roll out the layer of fat to an even thickness of about 1-2mm. Season it with salt and pepper
4
With the rest of the rack of lamb, use a knife to carefully cut around the loin of the lamb (the meat attached to the bone) and begin to release it
5
Use your hands to remove the loin from the rack of lamb
6
Using a sharp knife, trim the sinew and fat attached to the loin of lamb
7
Place the cleaned loin of lamb on a clean surface and roll the layer of fat tightly around it. Ensure it overlaps by 5-7mm as the fat will shrink when it is cooked
8
Tie the rolled lamb with kitchen string - Adam Gray suggests leaving a 2-3cm gap between each piece of string, so that the meat is evenly held in place
9
You can either slice into noisettes before cooking - slicing between the pieces of string or cook as a whole piece
Variations
The thin layer of fat can be replaced with bacon or pancetta. Gary Jones uses pancetta, laying it on cling film, with a slight overlap, then covering with another layer of cling film before gently rolling with a rolling pin to ensure the slices are suitably thin and flat. To finish, he removes the upper layer of cling film and wraps the pancetta around the loin.
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