Apricot glazed crown roast lamb

Method
Prep:30min  ›  Cook:20min  ›  Extra time:15min resting  ›  Ready in:1hr5min 

1. Preheat the oven 200 C / Gas 6. Grease a roasting tin.
2. In a food processor, blend the apricots. Transfer to a bowl and mix together with the honey, olive oil, ginger and mint.
3. To prepare the crown, lay the two racks, fatty side up and if necessary, cut back any excess fat from the bone. Try to ensure that the bones are as "clean" from fat and flesh as possible to avoid burning. You can do this by running the flat blade of a sharp knife over the bones.
4. Turn the rack over to what will be the inside of the crown and use a sharp knife to make indents in the meat at the cutlet end (don't cut all the way through, just enough to allow for the bend), this will help the racks to be tied in a circle to form the crown.
5. Flip the racks back over to the fatty side and score with a knife. Rub the fat with the glaze and season liberally with salt and pepper. Place into a glass dish and allow to marinate in the fridge for 2 to 3 hours (optional).
6. To form the crown, use the sides of a dish to help you. Stand the two racks up, bone side up and fatty side facing inwards and form into a circle. Tie the two racks together discreetly with kitchen string at the base and centre of the adjoining bones (if you have more time you can even use a needle to sew the two together). Tie kitchen string around the outside centre and base to also help hold its shape. Allow the lamb to come up to room temperature prior to cooking as this will result in a more even cook.
7. Roast in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes for medium rare, cook for a further 8 to 10 minutes for medium to well. For smaller racks allow less time, for larger racks allow more time. Check often to ensure that the lamb is not overcooking and use a meat thermometer to remove some of the guesswork (see tip below).
8. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the string from the outside of the crown, but leave the two discreet knots holding the two racks together. Transfer to a serving plate, and carve by slicing through in between the bones and serving as cutlets.

Tip

It is really easy to overcook this crown roast, so I would highly recommend using a food thermometer to get this just right. For rare, cook until the centre of the thickest part of the meat reaches 50 C and has a resting time of 20 minutes, for medium rare cook until the meat reaches 60 C then rests for 10 minutes, for medium (with a touch of pink) cook to 65 C and rest for 10 minutes, for well done (no pink) cook to 75 C and juices run clear. Note that it is recommended that lamb crown roast is served medium or medium-rare.