Tasty Tuesday: Roasted Rack of Lamb (gluten-free version!)
Rack of Lamb (c) Cheryl Shanahan
Yes. I am on a bit of a lamb kick lately.
I think some people get intimidated by preparing rack of lamb (that is, after they get past the sticker shock in the meat case). It is actually very simple to prepare, once you break it down step by step. It makes for a great anniversary dinner or an “I want to impress the mother-in-law” meal. For us, this was a recent ”Hell, it’s Monday and we deserve to have something nice” menu option.
This is a gluten-free version of the recipe. Want to get your wheat on? Substitute regular bread crumbs.
Note: if you pull the meat out of the fridge and put it stone-cold into the oven, your cooking time will take longer. I usually set it on the counter half an hour or so before I start working with it.
Rack of Lamb
Serves 4 (each rack serves approximately 2 people – so you could easily halve this for a couples’ dinner)
2 racks of lamb, Frenched (fancy word for they trimmed all the stuff off the ribs)
1 c brown rice crumbs
5-6 garlic cloves, minced
4 T chopped rosemary
2 t sea salt
1 t fresh ground pepper
4 T olive oil
2 T mustard (I used Sierra Nevada Porter Mustard, but use Dijon if you wish)
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Move oven rack to the center position.
2. In large rectangular pan, combine brown rice bread crumbs, garlic, rosemary, sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Toss in 2T olive oil to moisten the mixture. Set aside.
3. Season the racks all over with sea salt and freshly ground pepper. Heat 2T olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear racks, one at a time, on all sides, 1-2 minutes per side. Set aside and then brush with mustard. Roll in the bread crumb mixture until evenly coated. Fold foil over the ends of the bones to prevent them from burning.
4. Place racks bone-side down on a roasting pan. Roast for 15-25 minutes, depending on the size of the racks and how well you want them done (it helps to have an instant-read thermometer handy: Bloody rare: 115 to 125 degrees F; Rare: 125 to 130 degrees F; Medium rare: 130 to 140 degrees; F Medium: 140 to 150 degrees F). Once the internal temperature is in your desired range, remove the lamb from the oven. Let it rest 5-7 minutes, loosely covered with foil, before carving in between the ribs.
Enjoy!
I love lamb. Looks like a great recipe!