Rack of Lamb

Rack of Lamb is one of the most spectacular cuts of quality meat, and it’s shockingly easy to make. This luxurious cut of lamb is worthy of a holiday meal or any special dinner!

Rack of lamb is usually a special meal that many people only make during the holidays, but in our house we eat it once a week. It’s so delicious with a side of Roasted Acorn Squash or Roasted Carrots. 

This roast rack of lamb is incredibly tender, fatty, and rich.

Eating it feels like a primally satisfying experience that is hard to explain in words. It’s like my brain is lighting up and my body is being nourished head to toe.

It’s a splurge, but we love it so much and cherish being able to eat this wildly delicious and nutritiously rich food.

What’s notable about this lamb recipe is it uses one of the more mild cuts of lamb.

Many people are bothered by the general “funk” of lamb, but the rack is pretty agreeable and doesn’t have as much of this strong smell and taste.

It’s a good gateway for people who want to begin enjoying lamb but are put off by the flavor.

Respect the Meat

Most of the time I make rack of lamb, I only use salt. I think the lamb’s flavor is incredible and I am admittedly a bit of a meat purist. BUT! There are some wonderful complimentary flavors you can add. Just make sure you don’t go overboard by adding too many things.

For today’s recipe, I added fresh rosemary to the roster, which is my favorite herb and incredibly complimentary to the flavor of the lamb.

If you desire to add other various flavors, feel free to incorporate your favorite herbs and spices into the ghee. Thyme, mint, and parsley are other great herbs for lamb, and flavorings like mustard or garlic also go well here. 

How to Make Rack of Lamb:

The whole process is quite simple, and involves slathering Frenched racks of lamb with a rosemary ghee and salt, and roasting in the oven. Let’s dig in to the specifics.

Buy Frenched Racks of Lamb

For this recipe, I recommend purchasing racks of lamb that have already been Frenched, which should be pretty standardly available. I’ve actually never seen rack of lamb at the store that has not been Frenched.

Frenched rack of lamb just means that the meat has already been scraped away from the bones, and you can see how it looks below:

This way you don’t have to do anything to prep the meat. So easy!

Get the Lamb Out of the Fridge 90 Minutes Before Cooking

I can’t stress how important it is to plan ahead and remove the meat from the fridge before cooking. I have cooked a ton of meat over the years, and letting it rest at room temperature makes a HUGE difference.

There have been times when I didn’t plan ahead and cooked various meats straight cold from the fridge, and it’s always way worse.

Taking the chill off the meat gives you a way more tender rack of lamb, with an even cook and a juicier end product. If you think about it, you have to cook the exterior more in order to get the inside up to a proper temperature if it’s really cold.

Ghee Is the Best Fat for Slathering and High Temp Cooking

Next, mince some fresh rosemary with a sharp knife and a cutting board, then combine with ghee in a small bowl:

I see a lot of people using olive oil for roasting meats, and I don’t find this to be an appropriate use of olive oil. Its smoke point is too low for a temperature like this.

Ghee has a smoke point of about 480F, so no risk of burning and oxidizing here.

Plus, it has a great consistency for slathering on the lamb and holding all the rosemary evenly in place. It’s almost like a paste that’s easy to rub all over the lamb.

Prepare a foil-lined baking sheet, then rub that herb mixture all over the lamb meat.

Once you’ve rubbed the rosemary ghee all over the meaty portions of the racks, place the lamb rack with the fat cap up, and sprinkle sea salt all over:

The ghee also does a great job of holding all the salt in place for an even application.

If there are any other spices you wish to add, like black pepper, add them along with the salt.

Roast the racks in a 425 degrees F oven for about 22 minutes for a target of rare doneness. The fat side will brown slightly.

It is essential to get a reading of the internal temperature with a meat thermometer, inserting it into the thickest part of the meat. Also keep in mind that the temperature will rise about 5 more degrees during rest.

Note: you will notice I don’t bother wrapping the rib bones in foil. I think it’s easier to remove the burned bits from the ends of the bones by quickly brushing them away after cooking.

You Must Rest the Meat!

Tent the lamb with foil and let the meat rest for 10 minutes.

I put the racks on a plate and use the same foil I cooked on, so it bastes the lamb with the rosemary drippings and juices:

You’ll also notice I don’t cover it super tightly. I get it pretty far down all the edges but I don’t want a super tight seal. We just want to insulate the heat a bit.

To serve, cut in between the bones to turn the rack into individual lamb lollipops:

Place on a serving platter, then I also recommend pouring any leftover juices from the pan over the individual ribs.

Beef Wellington is another one of my favorite holiday meal recipes. Enjoy!

Recipe Tips and FAQ:

Did you enjoy the recipe? Please leave a 5-star rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. Or, follow me on Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest!