Garlic and Rosemary Baked Lamb Rack
Every time I go to Costco I have to buy a lamb rack or may daughter won’t let me back into the house. She is the biggest lover of lamb and has been since about 3 years old. Lamb is not the most popular meat for American consumers, but it’s slowly getting more recognition. The meat is super flavorful, so it’s no surprise that most traditional restaurants have at least one lamb meal on the menu.
Lamb is not very cheap, especially organic, because most of it is imported from New Zealand. The only time I buy lamb is when I go to Costco, which has racks of lamb for around $20. I saw the same racks for $40 in many other places. Our family requires 2 of them for dinner each time, so $80 would be a little too much. Lamb meat is very versatile and can be baked, grilled, and probably even pan-roasted, but I’ve never tried this method. We are baking and grilling kind of people in this family.
My lamb recipe is very simple and pretty straight forward. The meat, obviously, is very fatty, so Nutrisystem and Weigh Watchers would highly encourage very small portions, which I always follow after being on Nutrisystem and understanding how I can eat everything, but in moderation. This dish is perfect for celebrations and equally great for family dinners after post-Costco trips.
Ingredients:
- 1 lamb rack
- 6 organic garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons of fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon of fresh or dried thyme
- 1 organic lemon zest
- ¼ cup of organic olive oil
- Salt and pepper
The rack of lamb can be marinated for a day or for just an hour, it depend on how much time you have. My planning rarely includes all day, so an hour is just fine.
Marinade is made by mixing garlic, rosemary, thyme, lemon zest, and olive oil.
Put all those ingredients in a food processor and pulsate until finely chopped. You can also chop it all and mix it by hand.
Take your lamb rack out of its packaging and wash it with water. Pat it dry and season with salt and pepper generously on both sides. Then place the rack fat side up on the baking sheet and spread the marinade all over it. Leave for about an hour until you are ready for cooking.
After an hour preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and place the lamb rack inside for about 25 minutes. Many lamb recipes call for medium rare meat, but our family prefers it a little more done. I cooked our rack for 35 minutes and it came out almost completely done. I think I will try 30 minutes next time.
I love how the entire house smelled like garlic and rosemary while the meat was baking!
I prepared smashed potatoes with butter and sour cream and cut up some tomatoes be served with lamb.
If I had more time, I would’ve probably gone with potatoes and colorful cabbage salad with lemon.
Once your meat is cooked to your liking, take it out of the oven and let it sit for about 5 minutes to allow all the juices to settle. Our rack was juicy and flavorful – the entire family loved it. It also looked really nice on the plate, so I am contemplating making it next time we have guests over for dinner on a weekend.
Make sure you don’t overcook your lamb rack and enjoy!
