Simple Roasted Rack of Lamb

By lorik

Have your butcher french the racks for you; inevitably, the ribs will need some cleaning up, but at least the bulk of the work will be done. Should you choose to make an accompanying pan sauce (see related recipes), have all the ingredients ready before browning the lamb and begin the sauce just as the lamb goes into the oven. This way, the sauce will be ready with the meat.

Ingredients

• Red Wine Pan Sauce with Rosemary:
• 2 racks of lamb (each 8 to 9 ribs, weighing 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds), rib bones frenched, and meat trimmed of fat and silver skin (see illustrations below)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (canned)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• Salt and ground black pepper
• Orange Pan Sauce with Middle Eastern Spices:
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth (canned)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh cilantro leaves
• Table salt
• Sweet and Sour Mint Sauce:
• 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves (loosely packed), chopped
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Table salt

Details

Adapted from americastestkitchen.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position, place shallow roasting pan or jelly-roll pan on oven rack, and heat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Heat oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet over high heat until shimmering. Place racks of lamb in skillet, meat-side down in the center of the pan, with ribs facing outwards (see photo below); cook until well-browned and nice crust has formed on surface, about 4 minutes. Using tongs, stand racks up in skillet, leaning them against each other to brown the bottoms; cook until bottom sides have browned, about 2 minutes longer.

3. Transfer lamb to preheated roasting pan. (Begin pan sauce, if making.) Roast until instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of each rack registers about 135 degrees, 12 to 15 minutes, depending on size of rack. Cover meat loosely with foil and let rest about 10 minutes. Carve, slicing between each rib into individual chops, and serve immediately with an additional sprinkling of salt and pepper or with an accompanying sauce.

For Red Wine Sauce:
Pour off all but 1 1/2 tablespoons fat from skillet used to brown lamb; place skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallots until softened, about 1 minute. Add red wine and rosemary; increase heat to medium-high and simmer until dark and syrupy, about 7 minutes. Add chicken broth; simmer until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes longer. Off heat, swirl in butter; season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with lamb.

Orange Pan Sauce:
Pour off all but 1 1/2 tablespoons fat from skillet used to brown lamb; place skillet over medium heat. Sauté shallots until softened, about 1 minute. Stir in cumin, pepper, cinnamon, cardamom, cayenne, and sugar; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in vinegar, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan. Add orange juice, increase heat to medium-high, and simmer until very thick and syrupy, about 2 minutes. Add chicken broth and simmer until slightly thickened and reduced to about 3/4 cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Off heat, stir in cilantro, season to taste with salt and serve with lamb.

Mint Sauce:
Stir together mint, vinegar, and sugar in small bowl. Let stand about 20 minutes to allow sugar to dissolve. Season to taste with salt, and serve with lamb.