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sliced oven roasted rack of lamb

Amazing Oven Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Rack of Lamb

You absolutely can’t go wrong with rosemary garlic racks of lamb cooked to a perfect medium rare.
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Resting Time 15 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine American, Jewish
Servings 4

Equipment

  • Oven (electric or gas)
  • Wire rack
  • Large baking sheet
  • Meat thermometer

Ingredients
  

  • 2 racks lamb, Frenched (3 bones per person)
  • 1 head garlic, cloves separated, peeled, and chopped
  • 1 tbsp kosher salt
  • 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼-½ cup chopped fresh rosemary, to taste
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 lemon, zested
  • 1.5 tbsp Dijon mustard

Instructions
 

Dry Brine (minimum of 2 days in advance)

  • The first step on our lamb prep journey is to dry brine the meat. Since you will be roasting in the oven and not searing in a skillet, I highly suggest dry brining the lamb for several days before you cook to ensure the best meat crust possible. 
    Lamb needs far less salt than cuts of beef, but it can still benefit from early salting and resting uncovered in the fridge a couple days prior to cooking. The dry brining step will help the exterior brown faster, which will be especially helpful given the use of the oven roasting method. 
    Coat racks of lamb with approximately 1 tablespoon of kosher salt. Place lamb on a wire rack and let it rest in fridge for 2 days (minimum 24 hours).

Marinade

  • In a food processor, add garlic, ¼ to ½ cup of rosemary leaves, ½ cup olive oil, and process until finely chopped. 
  • Remove ingredients from food processor. Add 1.5 tablespoon Dijon mustard, 1 tablespoon of coarse fresh black pepper, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and lemon zest from one lemon.
  • Let marinade combine for at least 30 minutes before adding to the meat. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed; however, watch the salt level since the lamb has already been salted. 

Cooking the Lamb

  • Remove lamb from fridge and coat in the marinade. Let rest for at least 1 hour to get to room temperature. 
  • Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  • Place the racks of lamb meat side up on a wire rack on top of a large baking sheet.
  • Roast the lamb for 25 minutes, or until they reach 135-140 degrees internal temperature and the crust looks nicely browned. 
  • Let the lamb rest for at least 15 minutes, and then slice the lamb between the bones for serving.
Keyword holiday meals, lamb