Crusted Goat Rack

It is a rainy day in Whakatane and I am far from miserable about that as I plan our dinner for tonight. A few weeks ago my big fella went away on a rafting trip down the Clarence River in the South Island. He brought home lots of venison and lucky for me, he also brought home some delicious goat – my favourite meat! There was not a lot of goat so I have been waiting for the right day to cook  it and today is that day.

The recipe this week is one I love if I am feeling a bit tired – it covers most of the B vitamins you need and provides high levels of lots of your essential minerals, too.
Goat meat is low in fat and cholesterol, but super high in Manganese, Magnesium, Copper and Iron. Also high in vitamins, a standard serving of goat will give you all the B2 you need for the day and a good chunk of the B12 and B3. Why take vitamin B tablets when you can just eat some goat?


Goats arrived in NZ with Cook, so they have been here for a while. Captain Cook liberated goats in the Marlborough Sounds in 1773 – that is 241 years ago. They were released as a source of food and milk and thrived in our environment with only humans as predators. They are considered a pest species now and our Govt spends a huge amount of money trying to eradicate them – and no one gets to eat them – what a dreadful waste of such a healthy resource.
The other super yummy part of the recipe today is the macadamia nuts. You will remember a few weeks back I shared a recipe for Macadamia Crusted Kingfish – this is another use for a wonder nut that is packed with flavour and goodness.

Herb Crusted Rack of Goat

Ingredients

1 cup salted macadamia nuts
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
2 Tblsp Wholegrain mustard
2 tblsp oregano
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 level tsp chilli powder
Grated rind of one lime or lemon
1/2 cup grated cheese
50gms melted butter

4 racks of young goat or lamb, each with 6 cutlets

Method
1. Put the nuts, garlic, oregano, rosemary, chilli powder, and lime or lemon rind into a blender or food processor and process until finely chopped. Add melted butter and mustard. Divide the mixture by the number of racks.
2. Trim the racks, removing any silver skin, and clean the bones thoroughly. Press the mixture firmly onto the meaty side of each rack.
3. Bake at 200°C for 20 minutes. Stand on bench for 5-7 minutes to rest