Frenched Rack of Spring Lamb Roasted with Baby Potatoes, Rosemary and Thyme
For the first time this year, I noticed some new products at the farmers market yesterday . . . the first crops of the year are starting to come in . . . including Spring lamb and baby potatoes . . . and the peach blossoms in the background of the photo above . . . and a few other items I'll blog about later in the week. I bought a Frenched rack of lamb from Virginia Lamb and made a mini-crown roast with it (usually, two racks are used for a crown roast). Rack of a Spring lamb is the prime rib of the lamb world . . . with the lamb having fed on the first grasses of the year. I considered a more elaborate preparation with a sauce of some sort, but decided to keep things simple and let the incredible quality of this meat stand center-stage. It did . . . and I found myself gnawing on the bones. Delicious! This preparation serves 2-3, but could easily be doubled.
- 1 Frenched rack of lamb (about 1.5 lbs.)
- 2 lbs baby red and white potatoes
- 3 sprigs rosemary, destemmed and chopped
- 3 sprigs thyme, destemmed and chopped
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- salt and pepper
- Preheat oven to 425°F.
- Cut baby potatoes in half and toss them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, along with some salt and pepper, until coated.
- Place the halved-potatoes in a roasting pan, cut-side down, in a single layer and cover with foil. Roast for 20 minutes.
- While potatoes are roasting, heat 2 tablespoons of oil in 12" skillet over high heat until oil is shimmering. Pat the rack of lamb dry with paper towels, season it liberally with salt and pepper, then place it meat-side down in the skillet to brown it—cook without moving for about 4 minutes, then turn it to brown the backside, cooking again without moving for about 4 minutes.
- Pull rack into a crown shape, tyeing together with a piece of twine. Stand it up in a baking dish.
- When the potatoes have cooked for 20 minutes, remove the foil, turn the potatoes cut-side up and return to the oven.
- Place the mini-crown roast of lamb into the oven with the potatoes.
- Cook the lamb and (continue cooking) the potatoes for ten minutes and then sprinkle both liberally with chopped rosemary and thyme. Using a probe thermometer, check the temperature of the lamb in the thickest part.
- Return the potatoes and the lamb to the oven and cook for another 3-5 minutes, then check the temperature of the lamb again. Cook to 125°F for medium-rare, 130°F for medium.
- When the lamb is done, the potatoes will likewise be done. Remove from oven and tent both loosely with foil for about 10 minutes, then carve the rack, slicing between the ribs, and serve with the potatoes . . . seasoning with a bit more salt and pepper.
Stunning presentation, FRM! I'm thoroughly impressed with your dedication to local/seasonal ingredients. Is it wrong to crave lamb for breakfast?
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Heavens no . . . craving lamb for breakfast is an entirely right and beautiful thing!
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this is just superb. enough said.
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Lambing season is the greatest! I look forward to it every year. And lamb with rosemary and potatoes? Perfection, any way you slice it.
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so, you cook the lamb seperate from the potatoes...can you cook them in the same roasting dish provided it's big enough?
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Sure, you can cook them together if your dish is big enough. The most important thing about cooking the potatoes, in my view, is the first 20 minutes when the potatoes are roasting cut side down in a single layer covered with foil. This step is essential to getting a nice browned surface on the cut side. But by the time the lamb goes into the over, the potatoes are cooking cut side up and uncovered . . . so it won't matter if the lamb is placed in the same roasting dish. The principal reason I used two separate roasting pans is because I live in a studio with a crappy little mini-oven, so I cooked the potatoes and the lamb on different racks in the oven.
Let me know how it turns out!
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