This is my big Valentine’s Day dinner this year and let me tell you… it is AMAZING! I honestly was pleasantly surprised! Rack of Lamb has been this thing I have been wanting to tackle (if you will) for some time. AND I am so glad I did! WOW the flavor! The herb butter soaks in SO well! It makes the inside so juicy! The blackberry red wine reduction has been this fun little project I have been adjusting and balancing out the flavors of for a while. I have paired this sauce with pork tenderloin, chicken, and now this rack of lamb as I have experimented with this sauce. So far I like it best on this dish, but it is good on all of them! It is so rich but also light, sweet, and tangy. One of my favorite side items with this dish, is my Goat Cheese & Chive Twice Baked Potato! The creaminess of the potatoes with the tangy sauce on the Rack of Lamb is absolutely amazing! This is my vote for a great date night in for sure!

Equipment for this Recipe:

• Food Processor or Blender
• Saucepan
• Aluminum Foil
• Oven
• Cookie Sheet
• Meat Thermometer
• Knife
• Whisk

Ingredients for this Recipe:

• Dry Red Wine
• Balsamic Vinegar
• Honey
• Blackberries
• 2 Racks of Lamb
• Unsalted Butter
• Parsley
• Rosemary
• Sage
• Thyme
• Salt
• Pepper
• Garlic Cloves

Steps to cooking Rack of Lamb:

Step 1- Make Marinade

Making this marinade is fairly simple if you have a food processor or a blender. First, brown your butter in a saucepan over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes (don’t over brown or burn). In a blender or food processor, blend together the browned butter, 1 bundle of parsley, 2 rosemary sprigs (take leaves off stems), 10 sage leaves, 2 thyme sprigs (take leaves off stems), 2 tsp coarse salt, 1 tsp ground pepper, and 2 garlic cloves. This will create a runny paste. Transfer the buttery mixture to a small bowl and place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes.

Step 2- Pat Dry & Score the Rack of Lamb

This step is IMPORTANT. Pat the lamb dry with a paper towel so that when you spread the butter marinade over it, it will adhere well to the meat. This also helps the outer layer of lamb to crisp up while cooking. Scoring the meat is also important because it helps the meat underneath get some of the marinade! It also helps to crisp up the fat of the skin as well. Make sure you score in a diagonal across the top fat of the rack.

Step 3- Spread the Marinade

Take the set marinade out of the refrigerator and spread it all over the rack of lamb. Do not spread it on the bone. Make sure to rub this mixture really well all over the lamb and especially around the scored areas. Let the rack of lamb sit at room temperature for 1-2 hours with the marinade on it.

Step 4- Preheat the oven & prepare the Lamb

After the lamb has set out at room temperature for 1-2 hours, preheat the oven to 450º. While your oven is preheating, wrap the bones of the Rack of Lamb with aluminum foil. This prevents the bones from burning while in the oven.

Step 5- Roast in the oven

Roast the rack of lamb for about 15 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to keep a close eye on the internal temperature of the lamb. Lamb is not good if it is over cooked. Make sure your thermometer is located in the thickest part of the meat. For a rare lamb, take it out at 120º. For medium rare lamb, take it out at 130º.

Step 6- Let it rest

Let the lamb rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. This step is important because it helps finish out the cooking process. Lamb can be really dry or not cooked completely if you skip this step. This step is crucial for flavor as well. It helps all the flavors set into the meat.

Step 7- Slice & Serve

Slice the lamb chops away from the rack by cutting in between each bone. Take the aluminum foil off the bones. Serve 2-3 lamb chops per person.

All about the Sauce:

So… THE SAUCE… this sauce is absolutely amazing. This sauce is something I have been working on forever! I have modified and modified it to make it work better and better over time. This sauce is tangy from the blackberries, wine, and balsamic vinegar. Sweet from the honey and blackberries. But it has a lighter element because of the thyme! It’s so well balanced and it is the perfect topper for this dish!