Rack of Lamb

Cooking a rack of lamb is not difficult, nor does it take a long time. But you must do it right to end up with crispy edges and medium-rare centers. Serve this rack with the Red Wine Pan Sauce with Rosemary, below.

2 racks lamb (each 8-9 ribs, weighing 1¼ -1½ lbs, bones Frenched and meat trimmed of fat and silver skin) 40-48 ounces 1.1-1.4 kg                   salt & pepper         2 Tbs vegetable oil     30 ml

Adjust the oven rack to the lower-middle position in the oven.
Place a shallow roasting pan or jelly roll pan on the rack.
Preheat oven to 425°F [220°C].

Season the lamb with salt & pepper.
Heat the oil in a 12” [30.5 cm] skillet over high heat until it is shimmering.
Place the lamb in the skillet meat side down in the center with the ribs outward.
Cook until well browned and has a nice crust, about 4 minutes.

Stand the racks up in the skillet, leaning against each other to brown the bottoms.
Cook until the bottoms have browned, about 2 minutes longer.

Transfer the lamb to the preheated roasting pan.
Roast until an instant read thermometer reads 135°F [57°C] in the center of each rack, about 12-15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let rest 10 minutes, covered loosely with foil.

Red Wine Pan Sauce with Rosemary

Pour off all but 1½ Tbs fat from the skillet used to brown the lamb.
Place over medium heat.
Sauté shallots until soft, about 1 minute.
Add red wine and rosemary.
Raise heat to medium high and simmer until dark and syrupy, about 7 minutes.
Add broth and simmer until reduced to ¾ cup, about 5 minutes.

Off heat, swirl in the butter, season to taste with salt & pepper.

Serve with the rack of lamb.