Rack of Lamb with a Cumin and Salt Crust, Lemon and Cilantro

June 3rd, 2009

This delightful rack of lamb recipe is great to have in your repertoire to impress guests or to treat somebody special. The cumin adds nice complexity without complication, and it’s cooked at a high temperature, which means a short cooking time. This is adapted from Food & Wine’s Best of the Best, a great cookbook featuring recipes from celebrity chefs, in a simplified manner. It’s a horrible tragedy that I didn’t take a picture of the results, but trust me when I say that the aromas alone, will reward your efforts ten-fold. Enjoy!

Serves 4-6
3 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp coarse sea salt or kosher salt
2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 racks of lamb (1 1/4 pound each)
1 head of garlic, separated into cloves and peeled
3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

Preheat the oven to 500°F and place a heavy-duty metal roasting pan in the oven to heat up.

In a bowl, combine the cumin seeds, salt and pepper. Rinse the lamb and shake it dry, but don’t dry it completely– you want the seasoning to stick. Put the lamb on a plate and rub it all over with the cumin mixture. Let sit for about 20 minutes while the oven and pan preheat.

Meanwhile, put the garlic in a pan and cover with 1/2 cup of the olive oil. Bring the mixture to a bare simmer and let cook gently until the cloves are very soft. 20-30 minutes. Set aside.

When the roasting pan is very hot, carefully add the last 1/4 cup of the olive oil and place the lamb, fat side down, into the pan. Roast the lamb until nicely browned on the bottom, about 10 minutes, then flip the racks and cook about 5 minutes on the other side for rare (about 120°F on a meat thermometer), or cook it more or less to taste. Transfer the lamb to a carving board and let rest for about 10 minutes.

Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over high heat. Add the chicken broth and use a wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pass the roasted garlic cloves through a garlic press into the sauce or smash them in a bowl and add the paste to the sauce. Add the wine and lemon juice and simmer until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve the lamb with the pan sauce, garnished with cilantro leaves. Enjoy with something spicy and rich like a meaty Syrah or a Zinfandel.

Related Posts:
Roasted Lamb with Charmoula

Slow-Cooked Rack of Lamb

Chilled Cucumber-Avocado Soup

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