Rack of lamb recipe for holiday dinner showstopper

Whether you want a showstopping roast or finger food for New Year’s Eve, a rack of lamb may be your perfect, easy — and delicious — solution.

For a sit-down dinner, after showing off the roast, cut the rack into chops, and serve them plated with mashed or roasted potatoes and simple roasted asparagus. As an appetizer, put out a tray of the chops and people will pick them up by the bone.

When serving lamb chops as an appetizer, you will want the bones to be “Frenched,” which just means that the excess meat and cartilage is trimmed off the bone. You can ask your butcher to do it, or do it yourself (it’s fairly easy and takes about 10 minutes). Just use your knife to scrape the bones clean. The rest of the preparation for this rack of lamb will take you about 10 minutes.

Be sure to use a meat thermometer to check the temperature of the roast — it is the only way to ensure you have cooked it to the perfect degree of doneness.

Brown Sugar and Herb Roast Rack of Lamb

1 (1 ½ to 2- pound) rack of lamb, 8 chops, trimmed

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

2 teaspoon country Dijon mustard

2 teaspoon dark brown sugar

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

2 teaspoons chopped rosemary

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F. 

2. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Add the lamb and sear 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a work surface. 

3. Combine the garlic, mustard, sugar and vinegar in a small bowl. Brush the mixture over the lamb then sprinkle with rosemary. 

4. Return lamb to the skillet, meaty side facing up, and roast until a thermometer inserted into the lamb registers 125°F, about 12 to 14 minutes for rare. (Cook the rack to 135° for medium-rare) Remove from the oven and let stand 10 minutes before cutting into chops.

Makes 4 servings for dinner or 8 servings as an appetizer.