New Year Rack of Lamb

     

      Two things I usually consider necessary for a meal on New Year's Day: 1) It be reasonably elegant and 2) It be relatively easy to make. No one wants to spend hours in the kitchen on the day after New Year's Eve! To accomplish these two sometimes warring requirements, it is always helpful to have planned ahead, freezer wise. Whenever I go through the hours required to create a Brown Sauce or it's slightly easier cousin, Sauce Espagnole, you can be sure there will be several small packages put away in my freezer for just such an occasion as this. If you don't have this rich sauce available, you could make do with a commercial beef or pork gravy, but be sure to sufficiently fix it up.

      The only do-ahead is to marinate your Lamb overnight. You can put this in the refrigerator before you go out and "make foolish," knowing that almost all the work for your New Year's meal is being done for you!

      Successful wines for this meal could be red (Merlot or Dolcetto) or white (Vouvray or a high quality Riesling). But it's New Year's, so I'm having Champagne. Prosit!

Ingredients:

      Marinade:

            Juice of 2 Oranges

            Small Onion, chopped

            2 Cloves Garlic, chopped

            Several sprigs of Fresh Mint

            1 Tbs. Salt

            1 Tbs. Rice Wine Vinegar

            ½ cup Olive Oil

     

      Meal:

            Small Rack of Lamb*

            3 small Red Potatoes

            3 small Mushrooms

            1 Tbs. minced Onion

            1 Avocado 

                 (my side dish, use whatever you want)

            Sauce Espagnole  (about one cup)

            Porto (from Portugal) ... to taste

            Fresh Savory

            Butter

            Olive Oil

            Salt & Pepper

* My package had two 8 rib racks, so I used them both. Leftover Lamb Chops in the refrigerator are never a bad thing!

Method:

1    Day before: Mix marinating ingredients together and pour over Lamb. Refrigerate overnight.

2    About one hour before cooking: Bring marinating meat to room temperature. Remove from marinade and dry with paper towels.

3    Quarter the Potatoes, toss in Olive Oil and Fresh Savory and let sit for about 15 minutes.

4    Preheat oven to 325F. (165C)

5    Heat a small amount of oil in an ovenproof pan on stove-top.

6    When you are ready to sear meat, put Potatoes in the oven, they will be ready in about 45 minutes.

7    Sear the Rack of Lamb (fat side down) until it is nicely charred, about 5 minutes. Because I had two racks, I did them separately.

8    Pour off any fat/oil and return rack to pan. Place a small strip of aluminum foil over bones so they do not blacken. Place pan in oven and cook for about 30 minutes until internal temperature reaches 145F (65C), no higher!!

9    Every 15 minutes, stir Potatoes.

10    While meat and potatoes roast in the oven, heat sauce and correct flavors by adding Porto, Butter and any Salt & Pepper that may be needed. When meat temperature nears 145F, sauté the Mushrooms and a little minced Onion in Butter, until just done.

11    When meat is to proper temperature, remove from oven and wrap in foil, keeping warm (stove surface should be fine) for 15 minutes.

12    Turn off oven. Drain any oil from Potatoes, sprinkle on Salt & Pepper, and return to oven until you are ready to plate. They will crisp up a little.

13    When Lamb has rested, slice into individual chops.

14    When you are ready to plate, mix Mushrooms and Potatoes and mound them in the center. Pour a little sauce over them. Cover mound with Lamb Chops and add a little sauce over these.   

Enjoy!