Oven-roasted rack of lamb

Today's recipe is a roasted rack of lamb (or roasted lamb chops), an exquisite dish you'll get after a simple marinade and a really easy-to-follow preparation. It's brought to us by Patricia, author of Sabores&Momentos, and I'm convinced you'll love both its presentation and its flavor.

Merry Christmas to everyone, I hadn't mentioned anything here!! Well yes, already halfway through the holidays and about to say goodbye to the year, it's hard to believe, but 2016 flew by for me!! That means we've lived it intensely, right? Well, I wish you a very happy 2017 full of health and fulfilled dreams… So it's time to fight for them!

Now fully into this wonderful season that is winter, in which the warmth of home and the oven comforts us, today I wanted to bring you a recipe that is just as suitable for treating ourselves on special days as for any weekend when we want a roast to be the star. A striking and exquisite rack of lamb, made in a simple way but with show-stopping presence!

Wooden board with painted knob T&G, Pallarès knife, Emile Henry ceramic mortar and Rösle copper Shallow Casserole

The rack is a Set of lollipop chops with the bone left exposed for visual appeal, and we serve them baked in groups of three or four.

You should always prepare it using chops from regular or young adult lamb, because if we use suckling lamb chops, being so tiny, there would be nothing to sink your teeth into.

Here I baked it whole for the photo, but when you go to prepare it you should ask your butcher to prepare it properly. On one hand ask them to remove the breast, which you can use for a stew or even to make a sauce base for your rack; on the other hand, it's also important that they remove the backbone, because otherwise you won't be able to cut them with the knife and you'll make a mess. The ribs should be left floating, to make it easier for you to work at the table!

To prepare a rack you have several options. You can always make a "en croûte" with a crust of breadcrumbs, herbes de Provence or even grated cheese; or wrap it in puff pastry Wellington-style…. But I've chosen this simple option, roasted with a herb crust, shallots and 1 head of garlic, having left them to marinate overnight with a few aromatic ingredients and a good splash of wine (you can choose whichever you like, Rioja, Somontano….). Above all don't forget the garlic, because it's fantastic for lamb: it makes it lose that characteristic "animal" smell/taste, which is a real plus! And if you don't like the bones to get a bit toasted, you can cover them with a little aluminum foil… I like them a bit charred, but that's a matter of taste.

It's simple, you'll roast one rack per person and if they don't all fit at once, since they cook so quickly, you just need to take out the first batch, let them rest covered with aluminum foil while you roast the second batch, and so on.

I've prepared them in my new Rösle copper Shallow Casserole which I'm in love with, since you serve it directly at the table and it looks spectacular!! I paired it with some country-style baby potatoes, which I steamed for a few minutes, then put in the oven with the meat so they could absorb all the flavor!

Ingredients (for 4-6 people)

For the marinade

• 4-6 racks of 4 or 5 ribs each
• 1 glass of red wine (designation of origin to taste)
• 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of Sherry vinegar
• Salt flakes
• Several sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Several sprigs of fresh thyme
• Fresh tarragon
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped

For the roasted racks

• Ground black pepper
• Pinch of garlic powder
• Pinch of dried rosemary
• 600gr small potatoes
• 5-6 shallots
• 1 whole head of garlic, halved horizontally
• Salt flakes

Luigi Bormioli airtight jar and Emile Henry oval roasting dish

Preparation

First we marinate the meat:

Proceed with the recipe:

1. When you're ready to prepare the racks, preheat the oven to 200ºC.
2. Prepare the potatoes by steaming them until tender, since the lamb cooks quickly in the oven and there wouldn't be time for the potatoes to be ready. To cook them you can use a steamer or a pot with steam accessory.
3. Mix in a bowl or in a mortar the salt, dried rosemary, garlic powder and ground black pepper. Sprinkle our racks with the mixture.
4. In the copper Shallow Casserole or on any baking tray, we put the lamb, the shallots, the sliced head of garlic, and the potatoes we have pre-cooked so they are tender.
5. Drizzle everything with a generous splash of extra virgin olive oil.
6. Place in the oven for about 15 minutes to get the meat to the right doneness, less time if you like it rarer or a little longer if you prefer it more done. Serve immediately, as it's best straight from the oven!

Rösle copper saucepan and Textured ceramic plate

Notes:

• You can prepare the marinade mix a few days in advance and store it like I do in a airtight jar (the Luigi Bormioli ones they work wonderfully for that). You can even make more than you need and have it ready in case you want to cook meat on the griddle another day with a different twist, or if you think you’ll bake chicken or any other meat in the oven. It’s very handy to have aromatic oil blends in the pantry!
• In this recipe I show you two trays where you can prepare this meat, the Emile Henry oval roasting dish and the Rösle copper Shallow Casserole. I seasoned the little chops in the ceramic one, then transferred everything to the copper one, but without a doubt the best is to do everything in the tray you’re going to bake on. Both dishes work wonderfully for that!