Rack of Lamb

Anyone can make this frenched Rack of Lamb recipe, served on a bed of roasted garlic smashed potatoes.

This is a one pan meal that's so simple to make, but sophisticated for any occasion. Lauren Allen

View the print-ready version of this recipe.

Effortless fancy Rack of lamb (this really is so simple!)

There’s so much to love about this Rack of Lamb recipe and although it seems intimidating, I promise if follow my step-by-step instructions and you can execute this meal perfectly! I add garlic rosemary smashed potatoes for en effortless one pan meal that’s really worthy of your next holiday or special occasion.

Some tips for buying a rack of lamb: Most meat counters already have frenched rack of lamb (when the meat and fat around the rib bones is trimmed off so the rib bones are exposed). Ask your butcher to do this if it’s not done, or follow this tutorial to do it yourself (and if you can’t find a rack of lamb, you could substitute lamb chops).

Each rack of lamb (about 1.5 pounds) will feed 2-3 people. You can make multiple racks with this recipe, but you may need to increase the cooking time if you plan to cook them all at the same time.

How to Make Roasted Lamb

Prep Potatoes: Add potatoes to a large pot of cold salted water over medium heat. Cook until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain potatoes and arrange on a large baking sheet.

Prep and Sear Lamb: Season lamb with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Rest at room temperature for 30 minutes – 1 hour. Heat a large cast iron pot over medium high heat and pour in some olive oil. When the oil is hot, gently place the lamb racks fat side down and sear for 1-2 minutes on each side, flipping once.

Lauren Allen

Roast: With the back of a spoon, gently smash each potato flat. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt, black pepper and rosemary. Gently lay the seared lamb racks on top of the potatoes with the bones curving downwards (fat side up).

Marinade: In a food processor, combine dijon mustard, garlic cloves, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves until finely chopped. Spoon mixture over lamb.

Roast for 15-25 minutes at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) with the oven rack on the top 1/3 of the oven. Cooking Temperature: Rack of lamb is typically enjoyed rare (120-130 degrees F, 50-55 degrees C) or medium rare (130-140 degrees F, 55-60 degrees C). Use a meat thermometer to make sure you don’t undercook or overcook it.

Lauren Allen

Rest and Serve: Transfer lamb to a cutting board and tent with a piece of foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes. During that time, place potatoes back in oven until crispy (about 10 more minutes). Slice the lamb in between the bones then arrange on a serving platter with potatoes.

Lauren Allen

Make Ahead and Freezing Instructions

To Make Ahead: Make the lamb marinade up to 3 days ahead. The potatoes could also be par boiled ahead of time. Store both in the fridge in separate containers.

To Freeze: Leftover baked lamb can be frozen for up to 2 months, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, aluminum foil and stored in a freezer safe container. Thaw in the fridge before rewarming at 325 degrees F (50 degrees C) until warm, (for about 15 minutes).

Recipe Variations

Grilled Rack of Lamb: Turn on half of the grill to high heat and grill rack of lamb for 4 minutes on each side. Transfer the rack to the side of the grill that is off and close the lid. Cook for 15 minutes for rare and 20 minutes for medium. Monitor the lamb closely so it doesn’t overcook, and use a meat thermometer so you know when it’s ready. Rare (120-130 degrees F, 50-55 degrees C) or Medium rare (130-140 degrees F, 55-60 degrees C).

Sous Vide Rack of Lamb: We haven’t tested the sous vide method, but here is a recipe.

Lauren Allen

Rack of Lamb With Garlic Rosemary Potatoes

Serves 6

Prep 20 minutes Cook 1 hour Total 1 hour 20 minutes

• 2 lamb racks*, about 1 1/2 pounds each
• Salt and pepper
• 2 Tablespoons olive oil, for searing meat
• 2 pounds small whole red or gold potatoes
• 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley, for garnish
• Extra virgin olive oil, for potatoes

Marinade:

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 clove garlic , cloves peeled
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (50g)
• 3 Tablespoons fresh chopped rosemary, divided

Prep Lamb: Remove the lamb racks from the fridge and season them all over with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Allow the meat to come to room temperature, about 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Prep Potatoes: Meanwhile, add potatoes to a large pot of cold, salted water. Cook over medium heat until tender, about 15-20 minutes. Drain potatoes and place on a large baking sheet*.

Lamb Marinade: Add Dijon mustard, garlic cloves, 1/4 cup olive oil, and 2 tablespoons rosemary leaves to a food processor and process until finely chopped and combined.

PreHeat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) and place oven rack on the top 1/3 of the oven.

Sear Lamb Racks: Heat a large cast iron pot over medium-high heat. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once hot, add lamb racks, fat side down first. Sear for 1-2 minutes on each sides.

Smash and season Potatoes: Use the back of a spoon to gently smash the potatoes flat. Drizzle them with 1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, and season with a little kosher salt and pepper. Sprinkle remaining 1 tablespoon rosemary over potatoes.

Prepare to Roast: Lay the seared lamb racks on top of the potatoes*, with the bones curving downwards (fat side up). Optional, wrap the exposed end of the rib bones in foil, for a prettier appearance when serving. Spoon the lamb marinade over the lamb racks.

Roast, uncovered, for 15-25 minutes, until a meat thermometer registers 120-130 degrees F for rare, or 130-140 degrees F for medium rare. I suggest removing from oven when it reaches 5 degrees below your desired temperature, since the meat will continue to cook as it rests.

Rest: Remove lamb to a cutting board and tent with foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes before serving.

Crisp Potatoes: Return potatoes to oven and roast for 10 more minutes, until crispy.

Serve: Cut the lamb in between the bones and transfer to a serving platter with the potatoes. Sprinkle with fresh parsley. Serve 2-3 chops per person.

Notes

Yield: 2 racks of lamb. Serving Size: 1/3 rack of lamb.

Lamb Racks: One rack of lamb (about 1.5 pounds) will feed 2-3 people and is typically served rare or medium rare. Most meat counters sell lamb racks already “frenched” (meaning the meat and fat around the rib bones is trimmed off, so the rib bones are exposed). If not, ask your butcher to do it for you, or here’s a tutorial to do it yourself.

Baking Sheet: if you have a large enough cast iron, you can put the potatoes on the bottom after you sear the lamb, put the lamb on top and put it in the oven on that pan, instead of transferring to a baking dish.

To Make Ahead: Make the marinade and par boil the potatoes up to 3 days ahead of time.

To Freeze: Wrap leftover meat in plastic wrap and then tinfoil. Store in a freezer safe bag for up to two months. Thaw in the refrigerator completely before heating. Wrap lamb in tinfoil and bake at 325 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or just until warm.

Grilled Rack of Lamb: Only turn on half of the grill. Grill the rack on high heat for 4 minutes, then flip to the other side for another 4 minutes. Move the rack to the side of the grill that is off and close the lid. Cook for 15 minutes for rare, and 20 minutes for medium. Watch it close so it doesn’t overcook, and use a meat thermometer to test for doneness.

Nutrition

Calories: 848kcal, Carbohydrates: 25g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 71g, Saturated Fat: 27g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g, Monounsaturated Fat: 34g, Cholesterol: 126mg, Sodium: 176mg, Potassium: 1026mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 156IU, Vitamin C: 15mg, Calcium: 49mg, Iron: 4mg

This article was originally published on tastesbetterfromscratch.com. Follow on Instagram.

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