There
are many recipes for rack of lamb that include marinating, making mustard
crusts, or spearing the meat to insert garlic and herbs—and if you do not have
good lamb, I would suggest following one of them. My preference, however, is to
buy great meat and allow it to be the star. Rack of lamb is simply the
ribs— chops that are not cut apart but roasted together and then separated
before serving. Roasting in a rack tends to make for juicier and more tender
chops than broiling or pan-sautéing them individually. In the case of lamb,
“less is more.” Large racks mean that
the lamb is larger and older and closer to the strong-tasting mutton than the mild-flavored
baby lamb.
Each
rack is made up of eight lamb chops and serves three people. (Serve two chops
per person, and when you pass the plate around for seconds, many people will
take a third). Ask the butcher for racks that weigh less than a pound and a half
each. Have them “Frenched” so that the meat at the
tips is cut away to expose the bones and the backbone is cracked between the
ribs to make it easy to carve before serving. Lean two Frenched racks standing up against each other, with
the bones’ tips on top and interlaced.
Rack of
lamb should be cooked rare or, at most, medium- rare.
Serves six
Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil (not extra-virgin)
2 racks of lamb, each less
than 1½ pounds
Salt and pepper
Fresh Rosemary
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400° F. Arrange the oven rack so that the lamb will be
in the middle of the oven.
Heat the olive oil in a pan
and sear the racks on all sides in a hot pan so that the outer layer of the
meat gets a crisp, cooked look to it. Place
the seared racks in a roasting pan with fresh rosemary in between them. Place
the pan in the middle of the preheated oven for 12 minutes, and insert a meat
thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Cook until the thermometer
reads 125° F for rare or 130° F for medium-rare. Remove from oven, cover with
foil and let rest for five to ten minutes.
If you have only one oven, prepare the following side
dishes an hour before roasting the meat. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm and
return to the oven to reheat while the lamb is resting.
Zucchini au Gratin
Ingredients
3 lbs. Zucchini
Butter
3 eggs, beaten
8 oz crème fraiche (Marona’s has Ronnybrook,
Adam’s has Vermont
5 ounces grated Swiss cheese
Salt and pepper
Nutmeg
Directions
Rinse and
dry zucchini (do not peal). Cut into large cubes. Cook in salted boiling water
for 15–20 minutes. Drain and squeeze in a colander to remove excess water.
Place zucchini in a buttered oven dish and mash with a fork. In a separate bowl,
mix beaten eggs, crème fraiche, three-quarters of the cheese, and some salt,
pepper, and nutmeg. Add mixture to zucchini and mix with a fork. Sprinkle
the rest of the cheese over the top. Place in preheated oven (350º F) until golden
brown (30- to 40 minutes).
Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
Ingredients
9 pearl onions, unpeeled
18–24 baby potatoes, unpeeled
(all the same, or a combination of Yukon Gold, white creamers, small reds,
or fingerlings—but
try to get them all the same size)
Olive oil
Salt and coarse pepper
Fresh rosemary
Directions
Place the onions in water and
bring to a boil. Remove immediately and peel off their skins. Wash the potatoes,
scrubbing off any dirt, but leave the skins on. Coat a roasting pan with the
olive oil and salt and coarse pepper. Dry potatoes with a paper towel. Roll the
potatoes and onions in the seasoned olive oil. Sprinkle with fresh rosemary and
place in the preheated oven (350º F) to roast until
golden brown (about 45 minutes).
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