Problem Solved!

My mother made the best rack of lamb.

Hers is a recipe so easy to make that I call it "Monday Night Lamb." It takes minutes to prepare, and only 30 minutes to roast, which means you can have an elegant dinner on the table in less than 45 minutes on any given Monday night. There was only one problem...

Her recipe was a combination of several, and even included some cooking instructions from Julia Child. Actually, it was Julia's instructions that caused the problem. (Forgive me, Julia!). The high heat that Julia uses to sear the meat causes intense spattering, making an unholy mess of the oven and lots of greasy smoke fills the house. Markipedia is not amused.

I tried several things to remedy this: building up the sides of the roasting pan with foil; lowering the temperature; over-trimming the lamb; and testing different places in the oven. I tried everything I could think, but nothing seemed to work. In the end, we avoided making rack of lamb for years, even though we love it.

When in Memphis, Tennessee, recently, visiting friends Lea and Steve (I have known Lea since junior high in 1970), I made Mom's rack of lamb. I warned them about the spattering and they didn't seem to care.

They had some red potatoes on hand, and we decide to roast them as a side dish. Then I had my stroke of genius. (Well, maybe not genius...) I decided to minimize the number of pans in the oven, and I roasted the lamb on top of the potatoes in the same pan.

To my amazement, the potatoes absorbed the fat and kept it from spattering and smoking, and they cooked nicely with the lamb drippings. It was a win-win situation.

Skeptical that it was a fluke, I tested it again when I got home for our friends Laura and Arch, and it worked again.

Today, I made it the same way, but with one more change. I first lined the pan with rosemary branches so that some of the fat would go through the potatoes, producing a less fatty potato, while infusing them with rosemary. A great success!  Next, I may try a bed of thickly-sliced onions under the potatoes.

I served this with the wonderful Pétale de Rose rosé I mentioned when I made the Persian Baked Fish several weeks ago. It was a great combination; a Cabernet Sauvignon, Zinfandel, or hearty red blend would also work well.

Voilà! Problem solved; recipe evolution complete… for now.

~ David

Mom's Rack of Lamb, Redux

8-10 ten-inch-long branches of fresh rosemary
1 1/2 pounds waxy small-to-medium potatoes
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 racks of lamb, frenched*, each about 1 1/4 pounds
4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
1 shallot, finely minced
6 tablespoons panko, or traditional breadcrumbs
grated zest of 1 lemon
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
4 tablespoons melted butter

Preheat the oven to 500°F.

Place 8-10 rosemary branches in the bottom of a lightly oiled baking pan.

Cut the potatoes into 1/4-inch slices - or thinner - and place in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Cover the rosemary branches with the potatoes. Place the potatoes in the oven for 10 minutes to begin their roasting.

While the potatoes are in the oven, wash and pat dry the racks of lamb. Score the fatty side in a diamond pattern, and top each rack with 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard. Sprinkle each with 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary.

After the potatoes have roasted for 10 minutes, place the lamb on top and return to the oven for 10 minutes. Note: the photos show only one rack, as I was making this for two people, but this recipe is for two racks.

Meanwhile, mix together the shallot, breadcrumbs, parsley, and lemon zest. When the lamb has roasted for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and lower the temperature to 400°F. Divide the breadcrumb topping between the two racks and press it lightly into the mustard coating. Drizzle with the melted butter and return to the oven. Roast for 20 minutes more.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven, and place lamb on a cutting board, and cover with foil. Let the meat rest while you are plating the veggies and potatoes Remove potatoes from the pan and divide among 6 plates. Slice lamb and place three ribs on each plate. Serve immediately.

Serves 6.


    * "Frenching" isn't kissing! It is the process of trimming the end bones of fat and gristle up to the point where the saddle begins. Most racks of lamb in the U.S. is sold this way already, but you can ask the butcher to do it if it isn't already done.


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