This simple recipe for a roast rack of lamb and potatoes makes for a luxurious and delicious dish that is always impressive to serve and yet surprisingly easy to cook! The fragrance of rosemary, thyme and garlic 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 intimidating - especially when it is for a special occasion, such as Easter. Have no fear - I will walk you through, step by step, how we roast a rack of lamb in Le Chef's household.
You will also enjoy my recipes for Sautéed Haricots Verts and Roasted Potatoes. Make sure to make some quick and easy French Baguettes too, you will want to soak up every last drop on your plate!
When you buy a quality rack of lamb, Frenched cut such as by D'Artagnan, there is very little work you have to do. The meat is already trimmed, you simply need to season your lamb rack and then pop it in the oven! What is simpler than that?
Equipment needed
A large baking dish (I use this Le Creuset stoneware dish or a stainless steel pan)
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
4 sprigs of thyme
2 tbsps Herbes de Provence
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. Quarter the potatoes, leaving the skin on. 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 that are exceptional quality and pre-trimmed. Always 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.
Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish. Lay the racks down in the pan, fat side up.
Sprinkle the salt as well as the Espelette pepper and Herbes de Provence 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).
Spread the potatoes out on a baking sheet and generously coat with olive oil and herbes de Provence.
Toss in the cloves of garlic amongst the potatoes and put the baking sheet on the bottom rack of the oven for 40 minutes, turning halfway.
Generously sprinkle the olive oil over 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)
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 before slicing.
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 2-3 chops per person, along with a generous serving of the potatoes and some beautiful haricots verts.
**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 Roast Rack of Lamb in your own home. Bon Appétit!
Very simply. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Lay your rack of lamb in a baking dish. Season with olive oil, herbes de Provence (or Italian Seasoning), Rosemary, thyme and Garlic. Bake on the middle rack for 12 minutes and then turn on the broiler for 15 minutes, keeping a close eye to make sure the lamb does not burn. Remove from the oven and let rest in the baking pan for at least 5 minutes. The outside will be crispy and delicious, the inside will be melt in your mouth tender. Bon appétit!
This simply means that the butcher has trimmed the fat off the bones of the rack of lamb so that it is more esthetically pleasing. See photo above.
Lamb Lollipops are lamb chops that you pick up and eat with your hands. I admit when I was making this recipe I couldn't resist picking up a lamb lollipop once they came out of the oven!
Dishes I recommend serving with Roast Rack of Lamb for a fancy Easter Dinner:
Asparagus with a Champagne Citrus Vinaigrette or Sautéed Haricots Verts as a side dish. Of course, you can't go wrong with Smashed Mini Potatoes or Le Chef's Mashed Potatoes either...
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
ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE
Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that busy people deserve to eat well at home.
We were just recently featured on the TODAY SHOW for our recipes of French Onion Soup Gratinée and Moelleux au Chocolat. You can watch our full segment here:
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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 1x
- 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. The perfect Easter meal.
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
- 4 sprigs of thyme
- 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. Quarter the potatoes, leaving the skin on. 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.
- Drizzle a little olive oil in the bottom of a baking dish. Lay the rack of lamb in the pan, fat side up.
- Sprinkle the salt as well as the Espelette pepper and herbes de provence 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 on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil and herbes de Provence.
- Toss in the remaining cloves of garlic amongst the potatoes.
- Set the potatoes on the bottom rack of the oven for 40 minutes, turning over once.
- Generously sprinkle the olive oil over lamb and add the sprigs of rosemary, thyme and 3 cloves of garlic in with 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)
- 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.
- Remove the potatoes from the oven and serve.
- Bon Appétit.
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 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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