Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Roast Rack of Lamb with Herb Marinade

I haven't decided on the sides for this yet. I did this with regular lamb racks at a dinner party, and it was a huge hit; now I'm trying with goat for a date on one of my low-carb days. I didn't have any specific sides at the party, but for tomorrow I'm thinking I'll use a simple Mediterranean salad, and possibly a red wine reduction from the pan juices.. Olives are fair play, so I may add a bit of Heston's tapenade for a bonus. I did this for a dinner party and it was a huge hit

Ingredients:
1 Rack Lamb (not Frenched), roughly 2lbs
2tbsp finely-minced Rosemary
1tbsp finely-minced Thyme
2tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
Kosher Salt
Black Peppercorns

Prepare the lamb by removing the membranes from the underside with a paring knife. I suggest carefully sliding the knife under the membrane on the bonus, pulling up, and removing that first, then repeating more carefully with the thicker membrane on the meat. You can trim it up a bit, but work as slowly as you have to to avoid removing any meat.

Score the skin and fat in a diamond pattern, using a very sharp knife. You want to break the skin and cut into the fat, but not cut all the way through to the meat (and definitely not into the meat).

Rub the entire rack with salt and leave to dry brine in the fridge for at least 6 hours; preferably overnight.

Grind the peppercorns into a bowl (adjust to your liking). Add the olive oil, rosemary, and thyme, and hand-mix until integrated. Rub all over the lamb and return it to the fridge to marinade overnight.

N.B. - You'll want to put some kind of collection vessel under the meat here. You want as much air circulation around it as possible (so ideally just put it a fridge rack), but the olive oil will drip out of the marinade and make a mess if you're not very careful.

Preheat oven to roast at 135-140F, and cook the lamb (still coated in the marinade) uncovered until the center reaches 130F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove to the side to rest; tent with foil if desired.

To finish, scrape off the marinade and either:
1) Heat a skillet on high until it reaches a maximum temperature. Sear the top and sides of the lamb (in that order).
2) Heat the oven to roast at max (leave it for ten minutes past normal preheating to ensure maximum temperature), and roast the lamb uncovered for 5-10 minutes until thoroughly browned.

Make a pan sauce if desired.

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