Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce

Few recipes say ‘special occasion’ like herb crusted rack of lamb! The tender meat, the flavorful herbs, the crispy breadcrumbs. Yum! Add in a silky, smooth wine sauce and you have your next romantic meal or dinner party menu all figured out.

Here at BitofBacon HQ, we are officially freaking out! We are only a couple of days from leaving for our family trip to Bonaire and there is so much left to do! Packing, cleaning, getting supplies, making sure all the pet’s stuff is organized (yes, I do have a cat/turtle sitter who will check on them and feed them!), and all those little details for a trip.

And, of course, it’s Christmas so I have a few other things I need to get done before we leave beyond getting ready for the trip.

In a few days, though? We’ll be there, sitting right on the ocean, totally relaxed, sipping fruity drinks. It’s going to be a bit of an upside down Christmas going from our usual Vermont scene to a tropical island, but I think we can deal with it. 🙂

While coming back to arctic air won’t be fun, one thing I’m looking forward to when we get back is making this rack of lamb again. It will be perfect for New Year’s Eve!

Lamb is one of my favorite meats. I butterfly and grill it, slow roast it, serve it with fresh cherry sauce, or with fresh fig sauce. There are so many different amazing ways to enjoy lamb! Leg, shanks, and the best – rack of lamb.

This recipe here is based on my mom’s favorite way to cook lamb. She got the recipe from Gourmet years ago and makes it for dinner parties all the time to my dad’s raves about how amazing it is. 🙂

Once I got my hands on the recipe, I couldn’t help but to give it my own twist. (It’s my job after all!) Basically, I thought a simple marinade to infuse the meat with flavor would be great and it totally needed a wine sauce. I mean, totally.

And, well, I changed the herbs a bit? The herbs in the original recipe are perfectly fine, but I had rosemary, sage, and thyme in my fridge just thinking about going bad if I didn’t use them. In my write-up, I’m leaving it up to you. Use 2 tablespoons of parsley and 2 tablespoons of whatever herbs you like which you have on hand.

As for the wine sauce, I think you’ll agree that this simple sauce which you can make the day before is exactly what this herb crusted rack of lamb needs to go from amazing to astounding.

– Happy Cooking, Annemarie

Print Recipe

Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Red Wine Sauce

For the best herb crusted rack of lamb, marinate it overnight, cover in breadcrumbs, oven roast, and pair it with with a silky red wine sauce. This elegant recipe is perfect for the holidays or for a dinner party any time of the year.

Prep Time8 hrs

Cook Time20 mins

Total Time8 hrs 20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: French

Servings: 4 servings

Calories: 700kcal

Author: Just a Little Bit of Bacon

Ingredients

• 2 frenched lamb racks

Marinade

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 6 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, mint, sage, oregano, chives, or parsley
• 2 tsp lemon zest

Herbed Bread Crumbs

• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley
• 2 tbsp fresh chopped herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, mint, sage, oregano, chives, or parsley
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• 1-2 tbsp olive oil
• 1-2 tbsp dijon mustard

Red Wine Sauce

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 medium shallots, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 cup red wine, medium bodied such as Merlot
• kosher salt and black pepper

Instructions

Marinate the Lamb

• Trim the lamb racks of visible fat and connective tissue. Put each rack into a resealable bag. Mix together all the marinade ingredients and pour half into each bag. Seal the bags, place them into a bowl or dish in case they leak, and put them into the refrigerator for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours.
  

Make the Bread Crumbs and Roast the Lamb

• Put the lamb on the counter to warm up at least 30 minutes and up to an hour before you are going to roast it.
  
• Preheat oven to 400F.
  
• Mix together the bread crumbs, parsley, herbs, salt and pepper. Add enough olive oil to moisten the crumbs so they hold together, about 1 tablespoon.
  
• Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Take the lamb racks out of the marinade and wipe them down with paper towels. (If you wish, partially cut the rack through every two chops. This will make it easier to cut them into chops later.) One rack at a time, sear the racks in the skillet, about 2 minutes per side.
  
• Transfer the racks to a roasting pan, meaty sides up. Coat the meaty side of each rack with mustard and then top each with half of the bread crumbs, patting it into place. Roast the racks for 20-25 minutes, until a thermometer reads about 130F for medium rare. Let the racks rest for 10 minutes, then serve with the wine sauce.
  

Wine Sauce

• You can make the wine sauce any time up to the day before. If made ahead, reheat it while the lamb rests.
  
• In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the shallots, garlic and a sprinkle of kosher salt. Saute for 3-4 minutes. Whisk in the flour. Cook for 1 minute. Add the stock and wine. Bring to a rolling boil and cook until reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
  
• Pass the sauce through a fine mesh strainer and discard the solids.
  
• Serve the lamb with the sauce along side.
  

Notes

• Wine Sauce: I usually make the sauce while the lamb is warming up on the counter and I'm waiting to start roasting it. You'll want a medium bodied red without much tannin, so stay away from Cabernets. Merlot and Pinot Noir are nice choices.
• Bread Crumbs: For the bread crumbs I use whatever bread I have on hand that day, from sandwich bread to dinner bread. If I'm using a crusty bread, I do trim off the crust.
• Date Night: This recipe is easily halved for date nights and other romantic dinners.