A rosemary roast rack of lamb is a luxurious and delicious dish that is always impressive to serve and yet surprisingly easy to cook! The fragrance of the rosemary cooked with the lamb is absolutely irresistible. Your guests will know they are in for a treat the moment they catch the scents wafting from the kitchen.
Rack of lamb can be expensive to buy, so I understand that cooking it can be intimidating - especially when it is for a special occasion. Have no fear - I will walk you through, step by step, how we roast a rack of lamb in Le Chef's household.
Equipment needed
A large baking dish (I use this stoneware dish)
Aluminum foil for covering the tips of the lamb chops
Ingredients:
2 racks of Lamb (about 1.8lbs each)
12 Yukon Gold potatoes
6 cloves of Garlic, unpeeled but with the ends chopped off
4 sprigs of Rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons French Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Espelette pepper (or another pepper such as cayenne works as well)
3 tbsps of olive oil
Rosemary Roast Rack of Lamb and Potatoes Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
First, let's start with the potatoes. Peel and quarter the potatoes. Place in a sauce pan with enough cold water to cover (always cook your potatoes starting from cold water for a perfect potato!). Bring to a boil and let cook for 10 minutes on medium boil.
As the potatoes are boiling, prepare the 2 racks of lamb. We buy ours from D'Artagan foods but you can find rack of lamb in most meat counters. If possible, ask the butcher to trim the racks so that the majority of fat is taken off the outside.
Using a sharp paring knife, score the fat on the flat outside of the rack of lamb in a criss cross formation. This allows for better cooking.
*Le Chef's tip for restaurant worthy presentation: Using food string - tie string tightly around every 2 lamb chops to keep the rounded shape of the rack (reference the last photo)
Thread the rosemary under the string so that it stays inside the racks (if you leave it on the outside it will burn!)
Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish. Stand both racks of lamb up, interlacing the bones so that they stand up on their own.
Sprinkle the salt as well as the Espelette pepper evenly over the meat. I do not suggest adding fresh cracked pepper as it will burn under the broiler. You can add some after cooking if you wish.
Drain the potatoes once the 10 minutes have passed and you can pierce them with a fork (they will still be slightly undercooked).
Arrange the blanched potatoes around the racks of lamb.
Toss in the cloves of garlic and bay leaves amongst the potatoes.
Generously sprinkle the olive oil over the potatoes and the lamb.
Tear off little squares of aluminum foil and wrap around the tip of each bone - this will avoid the tips from getting charred.
The simplest, no-fail way to cook a rack of lamb
Place your lamb racks and potatoes on the middle rack of your oven that is fully heated to 350 degrees. Depending on how you like your meat - set your oven timer for the following times:
12 minutes: medium rare (pink with a rosy center)
17 minutes: medium (pink all the way through)
22 minutes: medium well (gray with just a little pink in the center - not recommended - lamb is at its best when still pink)
*the above cooking times are applicable when you stack the racks up and interlace the chops. If you are laying the rack of lamb flat on the baking dish, reduce the time by a few minutes as it will cook quicker.
Once the time is up, switch your oven to broil. Broil on high for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the oven and turn your dish around if one side looks like it is starting to char. Broiling the racks of lamb will create for a delicious crust on the outside and a very juicy, flavorful meat on the inside.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
Serving the Rack of Lamb
Remove the racks of lamb from the baking dish and set on a secure cutting board.
Using a large kitchen knife, slice between the bones for an even chop.
I generally serve 3 chops per person, along with a generous serving of the potatoes.
**If, by chance, you slice into the chop and it is too pink for your liking, continue cutting the chops and then put them back, flat, into your baking dish (remove the potatoes first) and put them back under the broiler for a few minutes until they have reached your desired level of doneness. Keep a very close eye - it shouldn't take more than a few minutes**
Make sure to take a spoon and drizzle the juices from the bottom of your baking dish over each plate, they are so flavorful and perfect for dredging with a crusty piece of French baguette
Voilà! A restaurant worthy Rosemary Roast Rack of Lamb in your own home. Bon Appétit!
Dishes I recommend serving with Rosemary Roast Rack of Lamb for a fancy French themed Spring dinner party:
Asparagus with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette as a starter
Creme Brulée or Mousse au chocolat for dessert
Have you tried making rack of lamb at home? I would love to hear from you!
Au plaisir,
Le Chef's Wife
Printable recipe to follow:
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Simple Rosemary Roast Rack of Lamb and Potatoes
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 32
- Total Time: 45
- Yield: 6
- Category: Entrées
- Method: roasting
- Cuisine: french
Description
A rosemary roast rack of lamb is a luxurious and delicious dish that is always impressive to serve and yet surprisingly easy to cook! The fragrance of the rosemary cooked with the lamb is absolutely irresistible. Your guests will know they are in for a treat the moment they catch the scents wafting from the kitchen.
Rack of lamb can be expensive to buy, so I understand that cooking it can be intimidating - especially when it is for a special occasion. Have no fear - I will walk you through, step by step, how we roast a rack of lamb in Le Chef's household.
Ingredients
2 racks of Lamb (about 1.8lbs each)
12 Yukon Gold potatoes
6 cloves of Garlic, unpeeled but with the ends chopped off
4 sprigs of Rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons French Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Espelette pepper (or another pepper such as cayenne works as well)
3 tbsps of olive oil
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
First, let's start with the potatoes. Peel and quarter the potatoes. Place in a sauce pan with enough cold water to cover (always cook your potatoes starting from cold water for a perfect potato!). Bring to a boil and let cook for 10 minutes on medium boil.
As the potatoes are boiling, prepare the 2 racks of lamb. We buy ours from D'Artagan foods but you can find rack of lamb in most meat counters. If possible, ask the butcher to trim the racks so that the majority of fat is taken off the outside.
Using a sharp paring knife, score the fat on the flat outside of the rack of lamb in a criss cross formation. This allows for better cooking.
*Le Chef's tip for restaurant worthy presentation: Using food string - tie string tightly around every 2 lamb chops to keep the rounded shape of the rack (reference the last photo)
Thread the rosemary under the string so that it stays inside the racks (if you leave it on the outside it will burn!)
Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish. Stand both racks of lamb up, interlacing the bones so that they stand up on their own.
Sprinkle the salt as well as the Espelette pepper evenly over the meat. I do not suggest adding fresh cracked pepper as it will burn under the broiler. You can add some after cooking if you wish.
Drain the potatoes once the 10 minutes have passed and you can pierce them with a fork (they will still be slightly undercooked).
Arrange the blanched potatoes around the racks of lamb.
Toss in the cloves of garlic and bay leaves amongst the potatoes.
Generously sprinkle the olive oil over the potatoes and the lamb.
Tear off little squares of aluminum foil and wrap around the tip of each bone - this will avoid the tips from getting charred.
The simplest, no-fail way to cook a rack of lamb
Place your lamb racks and potatoes on the middle rack of your oven that is fully heated to 350 degrees. Depending on how you like your meat - set your oven timer for the following times:
12 minutes: medium rare (pink with a rosy center)
17 minutes: medium (pink all the way through)
22 minutes: medium well (gray with just a little pink in the center - not recommended - lamb is at its best when still pink)
*the above cooking times are applicable when you stack the racks up and interlace the chops. If you are laying the rack of lamb flat on the baking dish, reduce the time by a few minutes as it will cook quicker.
Once the time is up, switch your oven to broil. Broil on high for 15 minutes. Keep an eye on the oven and turn your dish around if one side looks like it is starting to char. Broiling the racks of lamb will create for a delicious crust on the outside and a very juicy, flavorful meat on the inside.
Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes.
Notes
Serving the Rack of Lamb
Remove the racks of lamb from the baking dish and set on a secure cutting board.
Using a large kitchen knife, slice between the bones for an even chop.
I generally serve 3 chops per person, along with a generous serving of the potatoes.
**If, by chance, you slice into the chop and it is too pink for your liking, continue cutting the chops and then put them back, flat, into your baking dish (remove the potatoes first) and put them back under the broiler for a few minutes until they have reached your desired level of doneness. Keep a very close eye - it shouldn't take more than a few minutes**
Make sure to take a spoon and drizzle the juices from the bottom of your baking dish over each plate, they are so flavorful and perfect for dredging with a crusty piece of French baguette
Voilà! A restaurant worthy Rosemary Roast Rack of Lamb in your own home. Bon Appétit!
Keywords: rack of lamb, french recipes, lamb, roasted lamb, easter recipes , spring recipes
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