L ifestyle /C ulture
Rack of Lamb Dinner
F O OD
KERI WHITE | JE COLUMNIST
the menu suggestions below.

The key is to not overwhelm
the lamb; it is rich and flavorful
and, as a result, you don’t want
to “gild the lily.”
A whole rack for two people
may seem like a large portion,
but the chops are quite small
and there is a good bit of bone
and fat on each rack. You could
certainly stretch this to three
servings with ample sides and
some appetizers or a starter
course, especially if your guests
are not huge eaters.

RACK OF LAMB is a relatively
simple thing to prepare —
marinate it, or not, and roast
it at a high temperature for a
short time.

It is delicious, decadent and
makes a beautiful presenta-
tion, so it is an ideal meal for
a holiday or special occasion.

We made this for New Year’s
Eve. It was a special meal, a
bit of a splurge, but as it was
dinner à deux, we justified the
extravagance. I served “smashed” potatoes RACK OF LAMB
with the lamb, and an arugu- Serves 2 generously
la-avocado salad dressed with a
balsamic vinaigrette, but there
1 rack of lamb (8 chops)
are any number of sides and
combos that would comple-
Marinade: ment this meal nicely — see
2 cloves garlic
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20 JANUARY 28, 2021
2 tablespoons Dijon
mustard 1 teaspoon wine vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
Generous pinch of salt
Generous grinding black
pepper ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
Puree all the marinade
ingredients in a blender until
smooth. Using a sharp knife,
make hash marks in the fat
side of the lamb. Do not
permeate the meat; just score
the fat. Pour the marinade over
the lamb in a zipper bag or
sealable container and allow it
to marinate for several hours.

Before roasting, bring the lamb
to room temperature.

Heat your oven to 450 F.

Place the lamb in a baking
dish, rounded side facing up,
and pour the marinade over it.

Roast the lamb for 25 minutes
to an internal temperature of
125 degrees for medium-rare
meat. (Beyond medium lamb
will be tough and gamey, so
it’s best to stop there.) Allow
the lamb to rest for 10 minutes
under the foil, and then carve it
into chops and serve.

To round out the menu,
consider any of the following
side dishes — feel free to mix
and match to your taste and
the contents of your pantry:
Roasted root vegetables
Steamed green beans with
lemon zest
Rice pilaf
Sautéed Swiss chard (or
other leafy green)
Mashed potatoes
Baby kale salad with citrus
vinaigrette Garlic bread
Roasted cabbage
Steamed peas and carrots
Couscous, quinoa, barley,
groats or farro with lemon
zest and chopped fresh
herbs Shaved Brussels sprout salad
Mashed sweet potatoes
Chopped Israeli salad
JEWISH EXPONENT
Photos by Keri White
Lemon and chili flake-roasted
broccoli Spaghetti squash
Oven-roasted tomatoes
For dessert, we had some
dark chocolate bark laced with
dried cherries and salted pista-
chios, again sticking with the
“less is more” theme. Any type
of dark chocolate treat delivers
a nice endnote to the lamb —
it packs a lot of flavor, is not
overly sweet and a little goes a
long way.

Consider chocolate-covered
pretzels, jellies or just plain
chocolate bars. If that is not
to your taste, look to citrusy
flavors such as a lemon chiffon,
a sponge cake infused with
orange or lemon syrup, or even
candied orange or grapefruit.

Another dessert option:
fruit sorbets. The refreshing
palate cleanse of a raspberry or
mango sorbet is an ideal finish
to the rich meal.

Fresh fruit is always an
option, but it can sometimes
be a bit of a challenge to find
top-notch fruit in the dead of
winter. If so, a poached pear or
a baked apple would do nicely
here. Poaching the fruit in
cinnamon and sugar-infused
wine or baking it with nutmeg
and maple syrup or honey can
mask less-than-ideal textures
as apple and pear seasons wane
and the fruit is not fresh quite
off the tree.

Finally, a simple wafer
or spiced cookies, either
homemade or bought, is
another sound choice to cap
this meal. The key is to avoid
heavy desserts that compete
with the lamb, which is the star
of the show. l
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