Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Reduction & Mint Jelly
As simple to make as it is elegant to serve, with a shallot & red wine reduction pan sauce, with a hint of mint.
A rack of lamb is not always available in the grocery store; if anything, it’ll be sold in the spring around Easter time because that’s when demand for it is the highest, and that’s also when supply is more abundant because lambs are typically born in late winter and early spring. If you happen to have a retail butcher in your neighborhood, you can get lamb year round, but it may have been previously frozen. Many people are put off by preparing a rack of lamb because they think it’s too difficult to cook and carve. Nothing could be further from the truth. Lamb is very easily prepared, roasts very quickly and most racks sold these days have been butchered in such a way that carving the chops is a simple stroke of a sharp blade between the rib bones.
Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Reduction
Ingredients
- 2 (7-8 rib) racks of lamb, trimmed and Frenched
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp powdered rosemary
- 1/2 tsp powdered thyme
- 1/2 tsp fine salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 small shallot, finely minced
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1/2 cup beef stock (like Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
- 2 tablespoons butter
- pinch fine sea salt
- 6-7 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
- 1/8 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450°F.
- Place the 2 racks of lamb in a shallow roasting pan side-by-side, fat side up.
- With a sharp knife, cutting 1/4 inch deep, score the thin layer of fat in a diamond pattern.
- In a bowl, combine the olive oil, mustard, garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper and blend well. Spoon the mixture over the scored surface and spread evenly.
- Cook the racks for 40-45 minutes for medium rare.
- Transfer the lamb to a heated serving platter. Let rest 15 minutes under aluminum foil before carving while you make the wine reduction sauce.
- Pour off all but 1 or 2 tablespoons of the cooking fat. Put the roasting pan on the stove and turn the heat to medium-high. Add the shallots and sauté for 2 minutes.
- Add the wine. Cook, stirring and scraping, until most of the wine has evaporated, the shallots are soft and the bottom of the pan is clean.
- Add the stock and repeat; reduce by a third.
- Add the butter, a little at a time, whisking after each addition to incorporate it. Season with salt, pepper, and the lemon juice.
- Carve the rack into individual chops. Put four to a plate and spoon the sauce over.
Notes
- "Frenched" is a culinary term that means the fat, sinew and meat is removed from the slender end of the rib bones, leaving hem bare and giving the roast a neat, tidy appearance.
