Garlic Studded Rack of Lamb

Makes 3 racks

Christmas Eve Dinner. The marinade is from Gourmet Dec. 1989. It is not always necessary. The cooking instructions are from Fine Cooking, with changes by Carolyn. Ask butcher to french the racks (remove backbones and trim two inches of fat starting from the tips of the rib bones). The racks from Sam’s already have the chine bones removed. Reserve backbones for stock (see recipe separate). The are 2 sauce options listed below -- 1 you can make ahead.

ingredients

Marinade:
3/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. red wine vinegar
1/4 chopped fresh parsley
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried thyme, crumbled
2 bay leaves, crumbled
3 racks of lamb, 6 ribs each, frenched
4 garlic cloves, slivered
salt and cracked pepper
Sauce 1 (original recipe):
1/2 c. dry red wine
1/2 c. finely chopped shallots
1 c. Lamb Stock
1/3 c. olive oil ??
8 tbsp. (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
salt and pepper
2 tbsp. finely chopped parsley

directions

1
Combine oil through bay leaves in medium bowl. Cut small slits in lamb. Press garlic slivers into slits. Place lamb in large glass baking dish (or large freezer bags) and pour marinade over. Cover and refrigerate overnight, turning occasionally.
2
To cook, you sear on top of the stove then finish cooking in a hot oven. While heating the oven to 475, put a heavy-based dry skillet over high heat. Pat lamb dry and season with salt and pepper. Using tongs, put the lamb, meat side down, in the skillet. With your tongs, hold the lamb against the skillet for a minute to give it a nice, brown crust. Turn the meat to sear it on all sides for a total of 4 minutes. Repeat for each rack.
3
After searing, transfer each rack to a roasting pan (?) Cover the rib bones with strips of foil to prevent burning, then put the pan in the center rack of the hot oven.
4
The most accurate method for judging doneness is by temperature. Should be 117-119 degrees for rare, 120-125 for medium rare. Let rest for 5 minutes before carving. [ask Bo at how many minutes he checks it]
5
Sauce 1:
6
Boil wine and shallots in heavy medium saucepan until liquid is reduced to 2 tbsp. Add stock and boil until liquid is reduced to 2/3 c., about 5 minutes. Set aside.
7
After lamb has cooked, pour off any fat in roasting pan. Place pan over medium-high heat, add reduced stock and bring to boil, scraping up any brown bits. Return mixture to same saucepan. Whisk in 2 pieces of butter. Set pan over low heat and whisk in remaining butter 1 piece at a time, removing pan from heat briefly if drops of melted butter appear. (If sauce breaks down at any time, remove from heat and whisk in 2 tbsp. of butter.) Season with salt and pepper. Mix in parsley.
8
Sauce 2 (Brown Sauce, make ahead/freeze):
9
4 Tbsp. butter
10
1 onion, finely chopped
11
1 shallot, finely chopped
12
1 unpeeled carrot (chopped)
13
1 heaping Tbsp. flout
14
1 heaping tsp. tomato paste
15
1 tsp. BV (beef extract)
16
2 cps. strong chicken stock
17
1 clove garlic, chopped
18
bouquet garni (stalk celery, thyme and 1 bay leaf, tied with string)
19
crushed pepper
20
Add carrots, onion, shallots to melted butter over medium high flame. Cook for 5 minutes. Add flour and cook until medium brown, about 2 minutes. Add 2 cups of stock, tomato paste, BV, bouquet garni, pepper, and garlic. Simmer 1 1/2 hours. Strain through strainer, pressing residue.