Tony Benjamin keeps out of the way as chef Scott Vanderhoek shows him to cook rack of lamb Living Room-style and Matt Collins snaps the proceedings.

We weren’t expecting to meet Scott Vanderhoek when we went to The Living Room, but then again neither was he expecting us. Happily, he’s a man who thrives on the unexpected, being the kitchen trouble shooter and Mr Fixit for all 14 restaurants in The Living Room chain. It’s a job that can take him anywhere from Glasgow to London or Bristol, often at very short notice. “There’s lot’s of travelling – it can be a 90-hour week – but it’s very rewarding work. I’ve got a place in Guildford but I don’t often get to stay there!” He’s in Bristol to cover a temporary chef shortage in their Millennium Square restaurant, but even though he’s got to catch a train to Living Room HQ in Milton Keynes he’s happy to show us his recipe for herb-crusted rack of lamb. He’s chosen this recipe “because it’s quick and simple – you can’t really go wrong with it – and lamb has the feel of spring about it”. It’s certainly quick in his professional hands, thanks to 18 years of kitchen experience that began in a fine dining Italian restaurant in Florida before a move to the UK in the late 90s led to The Living Room and his post as national operations manager, responsible for ensuring the consistent quality and standard of their food nationwide. He prepares the food with calm speed and accuracy, unfazed by the constant click of the camera, and in half-an-hour he’s presented us with that splendid plateful just as the taxi arrives to whisk him off. Was that a distant cry of ‘Hi-ho Silver’?

THE LIVING ROOM EXPLORE LANE, HARBOURSIDE, CANON’S WAY, BRISTOL, BS1 5TY, TEL: 0117 925 3993, WEB: WWW.LIVINGROOM.CO.UK
 

RECIPE

Herb-crusted Rack of Lamb with red wine and redcurrant jus
 

INGREDIENTS Four servings
• 4 x 3-bone rack of lamb, bones scraped clean
• 20g flat-leaf parsley
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 slices thick-sliced white bread
• 20ml honey
• 20g wholegrain mustard

For the jus:
• 1 large shallot or small onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 300ml beef stock
• 1 glass red wine
• 50g redcurrant jelly

INSTRUCTIONS

1 Heat the oven to 200C or gas mark 6.
2 Heat a little olive oil in a frying pan and brown the lamb to seal it on all sides.
3 Roast the lamb in the oven for 15-20 minutes (longer if you don’t like it pink in the middle).
4 Remove crusts from bread and stalks from parsley, thyme and rosemary.
5 Chop herbs and blend with the bread in a food processor until you have fine green breadcrumbs.
6 Blend honey and mustard together.
7 Remove lamb from oven when ready and brush with the honey and mustard mix.
8 Gently push the herby breadcrumbs onto the lamb and return to oven for 5 more minutes to crisp.
9 Take out lamb and leave to stand for five minutes.

 
Making the jus:
1 Peel and finely chop the shallot and garlic.
2 Heat some olive oil in a small saucepan and gently fry shallot and garlic with the sprig of thyme. When shallot is soft, turn up heat to brown it off.
3 Add the red wine and let it reduce until it’s a thickening syrup.
4 Add beef stock and reduce to half its volume.
5 Stir in the redcurrant jelly, then pass the sauce through a sieve to remove shallot and thyme.

Serve lamb with boiled new potatoes or mash and lightly steamed green vegetables, drizzled with the jus.

 
Possible cock-ups? “There’s not a lot to go wrong, but keep an eye on the jus – you could burn it when reducing the red wine.” Pimping it up? “Obviously find the best lamb you can from a good butcher, and I like to flash the shallot with brandy before adding the wine. I’d serve it with creamy dauphinoise potatoes, too.” Venue verdict: “As good as it looks. Outstandingly tasty – the breadcrumb thing is really lovely and the meat delicious, just how I like it.” (Matt the photographer)

Copyright Tony Benjamin 2011; pics copyright Matt Collins 2011

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