Rack of lamb with potatoes gratin and Brussels Sprouts

Classic Rack of Lamb Recipe

• Prep time: 10 minutesCook time: 25 minutesMarinating time: 2 hoursYield: 1 rack serves 2 to 3 people

The cooking time depends on how big your rack of lamb is, and how rare you want it cooked. Rack of lamb should be cooked rare, or at most medium rare.

The instructions are for a rack 1 1/4 to 2 pounds big. If you are cooking multiple racks (unless you are doing a crown roast which is a different matter), lay them out separately on the pan, and you may need to increase the cooking time.

Use a meat thermometer! Many factors can affect cooking time like the shape of the roast, the fat marbling, and your individual oven characteristics. This is too lovely and tender a roast to risk overcooking.

Make sure to allow enough time for your rack of lamb to come close to room temperature before cooking. Otherwise the inside will still be raw while the outside is cooked.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 or more Frenched* lamb rib racks with 7 to 8 ribs each (1 1/4 to 2 pounds for each rack, figure each rack feeds 2-3 people)

For each rib rack:

• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt
• Pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• Meat thermometer

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METHOD

1 Marinate lamb in rub: Rub rib rack(s) all over with mixture of rosemary, thyme, and garlic. Sprinkle with freshly ground black pepper. Place in a thick plastic bag with olive oil.

Spread oil around so that it coats the lamb rack(s) all over. Squeeze out as much air as you can from the bag and seal. Place in a container so that if the bag leaks, the container catches the leak.

If you want, place in the refrigerator overnight. Or, if you are not marinating overnight, let lamb rack(s) sit in the rub marinade as it comes to room temperature before cooking.

2 Bring lamb to room temp: Remove lamb rack from refrigerator to 1 1/2 to 2 hours before you cook it so that it comes to room temp. (If the meat is not at room temperature it will be hard for it to cook evenly.)

3 Preheat oven to 450°F, arrange the oven rack so that the lamb will be in the middle of the oven.

4 Score the fat, sprinkle with salt and pepper, wrap bones in foil, place in pan fat side up: Score the fat, by making sharp shallow cuts through the fat, spaced about an inch apart.

Sprinkle the rack all over with salt and pepper. Place the lamb rack bone side down (fat side up) on a roasting pan lined with foil. Wrap the exposed ribs in a little foil so that  they don't burn.

5 Roast first at high heat to brown, then reduce heat to finish: Place the roast in the oven roast at 450°F for 10 minutes (longer if roasting more than one rack), or until the surface of the roast is nicely browned.

Then lower the heat to 300°F. Cook for 10-20 minutes longer (depending on the size of the lamb rack, if you are roasting more than one rack, and how rare or well done you want your lamb), until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat 125°F on a for rare or 135°F for medium rare. Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes.

Cut lamb chops away from the rack by slicing between the bones. Serve 2-3 chops per person.

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Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Ingredients

• 1 kg / 2.2 lbs Brussels sprouts, washed
• 4 tbsps extra virgin olive oil or rice bran oil
• Sea salt flakes (Maldon salt, Halen Mon are two favourites)

Steps to Make It

• Gather the ingredients.
  Preheat the oven to 180°C/ 375 °F/ Gas 4
  Take the washed sprouts and remove any outer leaves which may be yellowing or wilting. Pulling these away you should find smooth, shiny, tightly packed leaves. If this is not the case and the leaves are 'blown' (not tightly packed) discard the sprout. Trim any excess on the base which is dirty or damaged too, making sure you do not cut into the leaves.
  Leave the sprouts whole, only if they are very large should they be cut in two.
  
  Lay the Brussels sprouts on to a baking sheet. Sprinkle the sprouts with the olive oil *** roll the sprouts around to make sure they are well coated in a the oil.
  
  Sprinkle over the sea salt flakes and give the sprouts a good shake.
  
  Place the tray into the centre of the preheated oven and roast for 20 minutes or until the sprouts start to brown on the outside but are not burnt. Prod the sprout with a sharp knife to see if it is tender, if not, cook longer. The length of time depends on the size of the sprouts, so keep an eye on them.
  
  Once cooked serve immediately. 
• Roast Brussels make a great stand alone vegetable or can be part of a bigger mix such as roast carrots, parsnips and other roots, however they will cook much faster so only add them towards the end of cooking or they will simply burn and taste bitter. 

Potato and Leek GratinWritten by Molly Watson

Photo © Molly Watson

Total: 75 mins  Prep:  30 mins  Cook: 45 mins  Yield:  6 servings

 Layering sliced potatoes with sautéed leeks and grated cheese into a Potato Leek Gratin makes short work of a cold weather dinner. Serve it as a hearty side dish with a roast or as a main dish with a tossed salad or cooked greens for a simple but satisfying dinner.

Ingredients

• 2 leeks
• 3 tablespoons butter (divided)
• 3 pounds potatoes
• Fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 ounces gruyère or Swiss cheese (grated)

Steps to Make It

• Preheat an oven to 375 F. Clean and chop the leeks: Cut off the root ends and dark green leaves, slice the white and light green part in half lengthwise, chop, put in a colander, and rinse clean with cool water. Rinse thoroughly, since grit and dirt tend to hide between the layers of leeks and a gritty gratin is no fun.
  
  
  In a medium frying pan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the leeks and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted and a bit softened (about 3 minutes). Set the leeks aside.
  Rub a 2-quart baking dish or gratin pan with the remaining butter. Set the prepared pan aside.
  
  
  Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1/4-inch slices (even is more important than thin—if you have a kitchen mandoline, this is a good time to use it, but a sharp knife and a steady hand can also do the job). Cover the bottom of the dish with 1/4 of the potato slices and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread 1/2 of the cooked leeks on the potatoes. Layer another 1/4 of the potatoes. Sprinkle with 1/2 of the cheese. Repeat the potato, leek, potato, cheese layers, sprinkling with salt and pepper at each potato layer that doesn't get topped with cheese.
  
  
  
  Cover the dish and bake 20 minutes. Uncover the dish and continue baking until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork and the whole thing is a lovely bubbling brown on top, about 25 more minutes (depending on how fresh the potatoes are, cooking time may take as long as 90 minutes—cover the dish if the potatoes and cheese become too brown). Serve hot.
  
  
  

Make ahead note: Since peeled and sliced potatoes turn brown easily and frozen potatoes take on a mealy texture, this dish isn't super easy to make ahead of time. One trick is to par-bake it: bake the dish, covered, for 30 minutes, remove from the oven, let cool, and chill up to two days, then put back into a hot oven and bake covered for 15 minutes then uncovered until nicely browned.

Another option is to prep all the ingredients, and then assemble and bake it when you're ready. Chop and clean the leeks, keep covered and chilled up to 3 days. Peel and slice the potatoes and keep them, in a large bowl covered with water, covered and chilled up to overnight. Drain and pat dry before using. This approach doesn't save tons of time but shifts the type of work that needs to be done when it's time to get dinner on the table.