Rosemary Rack of Lamb

Lamb......that is the yummy topic today. For those of you reading this and are hungry, it might create discomfort as you will start to drool and stomach will growl in protest for you arent making this right now to enjoy. For those of you hungry.....you will be! 


This meal was eaten at my Dads after Christmas. I was so excited. So we went to the store and Dad bought a beautiful looking 8 rib rack of lamb. And that night we marinated this wondrous animal.


Marinade:
2 lemons, juiced
1/4c chopped fresh rosemary
3T olive oil
1t pepper
1 rack of lamb (7-8 ribs)


Mix all ingredients in a bowl. 


Our lamb was cleaned pretty well so there wasnt much to do to it. Most racks I have seen in grocery stores 
are cleaned pretty well. If you are breaking down large cuts of lamb might I suggest Jacques Pepin's Technique book. Take your rack and trim off the large fat cap on the rack. Leave some fat, but a large portion can be cut off.


Place rack in a gallon zipper bag. Pour marinade over rack. Seal the bag and swish the marinade all over for even coating. Place in the fridge overnight.


Cooking:


1-2 hours before cooking pull the lamb out of the fridge and out of the marinade bag. Let the rack unchill so it will cook more evenly. 


When you are ready to cook preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Use a skillet that can be placed in the oven. 
Turn your stove to high heat. Once the pan is screaming hot add a drizzle of olive oil. Place the rack of ribs in the pan and sear for 2 minutes. Flip over the rack and sear for another 2 minutes. Place you skillet directly into the oven. Cook for 14 minutes and remove from oven. Take the rack out of the pan and let rest for 5-10 minutes.

Your rack should look like this. If the smells and sight of this beautiful cut of meat dont make you salivate then I do not know what will. But if it does....then boy are you in for a treat. Once the meat has rested begin cutting the rack into portions of single chops. 

The thing to remember with lamb is that you absolutely positively do not want to overcook your meat!! You want a nice medium-rare to medium. This should be around 130-135 degrees on a meat thermometer. Once you slice all of your ribs there will be some nice juice at the bottom for extra flavor. Do not pour off!!

To go with our lamb I made some couscous with pine nuts and dried cranberries and steamed green beans.

Green Beans:

1-2 lbs fresh green beans

1 shallot, minced

3-4 garlic cloves, minced

1/4c creme fraiche or mexican crema ( mexican crema is typically found in the cheese section at grocery stores with the mexican queso cheeses)

In a double boiler or steamer basket steam your green beans until tender crisp. This should take 5-10 minutes. Beans should still be bright green and slightly crisp. Once they are cooked instantly plunge them into a bowl of ice water. 

While the beans are cooking you can make the sauce. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and add your minced shallot and garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes until golden. Add your crema. It should start to quickly heat up and melt. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

Add the cookedand cooled beans to the sauce. Toss around until beans are well coated and hot. Remove from heat and top with some sliced almonds.

This is a nice accompaniment to any meat dish. It is easy to prepare as well. For me it was the perfect pair to tender lamb.

We all dove right into dinner with gusto!! It was juicy, tender, flavorful......everything you look for in a lamb chop. There was even a little juice sopping going on!! Chops are not cheap, but if you or someone who loves you a lot can get them......be sure to chew slowly and savor every bite.