Orange and Date Stuffed Guard of Honour with a Marmalade and Orange Liqueur Glaze
A great all year round dinner party centrepiece, but particularly suitable for the Christmas period. Two racks of lamb are seasoned with salt, pepper and ground cinnamon, then stuffed with a seasonal stuffing made with dates, soaked in orange liqueur, fresh breadcrumbs, parsley and the grated zest and juice of one orange.
prep time
15 mins
cook time
50 minutes
serves
6 people
Ingredients
- 2 x 6-boned racks of lamb, chined (to make your Guard of Honour)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon rapeseed or olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Seville orange marmalade
For the Orange and Date Stuffing:
- 25g dried dates, roughly chopped and soaked in 5 tablespoons orange liqueur overnight
- 50g fresh breadcrumbs
- 3 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
- Grated zest and juice of 1 small orange
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180-190°C,160-170°C Fan, Gas Mark 4-5.
- To prepare the stuffing; drain the dates, reserving the orange liqueur and transfer to a small bowl. Add the remaining stuffing ingredients.
- Place the lamb on a chopping board, season and sprinkle with the cinnamon on both sides.
- Heat the oil in a non-stick frying pan, add the lamb, skin side down and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side until brown. Remove and place on a clean chopping board.
- Fill the cavity of each rack with the stuffing mixture and sandwich together to form an arch. Secure with butcher’s string or elasticated meat bands.
- Weigh the racks, transfer to a medium-sized roasting tin and roast for the calculated cooking time (for medium). Cover the bones with foil if browning too quickly.
- In a small bowl mix together 2 tablespoons of the reserved orange liqueur and the marmalade.
- 10 minutes before the end of the cooking time brush the racks with the marmalade glaze. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 5 minutes.
- Slice the Guard of Honour and serve with mini roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
