Roast Lamb Racks with Lemon and Garlic

Roast Rack of Lamb

As an Australian, lamb features a lot on our menu at home and I particularly love cooking with lamb racks. You don’t have to do too much to them, but they will always look impressive!

I have a habit of always marinating meat, something which I am sure I picked up from my mother. The advantages of marinating is that you can add flavour to the meat while also tenderising it at the same time.

Rack of Lamb Recipe

My basic marinade for lamb racks (and also cutlets, fillets, or even a leg), is comprised simply of olive oil, lemon, garlic, salt and pepper. Always. This means that, when I don’t have the time or energy to think about complicated flavours, I just make my basic marinade and I know that dinner will still be delicious.

But depending on my mood or what I might be serving with the lamb, I might add some other spices to my basic marinade. Sometimes it is dried mint or dried chilli flakes, and at other times I might go down the middle eastern route and add cumin and ground coriander. If I want to go all out, I tend to make a herb-crusted rack of lamb.

How to Cook a Rack of Lamb

You might not believe it, but I frequently make a roast lamb racks like those pictured in these photos on a casual weeknight.

1. Marinate the meat first – The marinade takes about 5 minutes to prepare, and I try to marinate the lamb racks for at least 30 minutes, but overnight is always better.
2. Cook the lamb first on the stove for colour – To get that lovely and golden crust on the lamb, I always sear the lamb first in a hot pan. Once the lamb racks have a good colour on them, I will then transfer the lamb racks to a hot oven to continue cooking. For this reason, it is a good idea to use a saucepan which can go into the oven later.
3. Finish cooking the lamb in the oven – The lamb racks will need to roast for about 15-20 minutes in the oven, depending on how well cooked you like your lamb. For more information on timing and temperatures, please see my recipe below.
4. Use a thermometer to check for doneness – The best and most accurate way to test if the lamb is cooked to your liking, is to use a digital thermometer. The digital thermometer should be inserted into the thickest part of the meat when you take a reading.
5. Let the meat rest before carving – Note that the meat will continue to cook as it rests, something you should always do after cooking meat so that the juices can flow from the surface of the meat back to the centre, thereby keeping your meat nice and tender.

What to Serve with Lamb

Paired with a simple couscous salad and maybe a homemade hummus, roast lamb racks makes for the perfect, but special, weeknight dinner.

But my main question to everyone is: who else – like me – also loves mint sauce with their lamb??!

4.91 stars (10 reviews)

Roast Lamb Racks with Lemon and Garlic

Thanh | Eat, Little Bird

Prep10 minutes mins

Cook30 minutes mins

RestMarinating Time30 minutes mins

Total1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Serves: 3 to 4

A quick and easy marinade for Roast Lamb Racks with Lemon and Garlic which takes just a few minutes, perfect for busy weeknights and entertaining. The lamb is first cooked on the stove and finished off in the oven for perfectly cooked and tender meat.

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Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons sea salt
• black pepper, freshly cracked
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 small lamb racks, approx 350g/12 oz each
• 1-2 tablespoons olive oil, extra

Instructions 

1. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, salt, pepper, lemon and garlic.
2. Place the racks of lamb into a large ziplock freezer bag.
3. Pour the marinade into the bag, seal the bag, and make sure that the racks of lamb are well coated in the marinade.
4. Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes, but overnight in the fridge is best. If your kitchen is quite cool, I would simply leave the bag on the kitchen counter to marinate. Otherwise, place it in the fridge.
5. Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F (without fan).
6. Let the meat come to room temperature before cooking.
7. Heat the extra oil in a large oven-proof saucepan which will fit both racks of lamb comfortably.
8. On a medium-high heat, sear the racks of lamb on each side until they are nicely browned.
9. Once both sides of the racks of lamb have been seared, quickly position them on the saucepan so that the bones are standing upwards.
10. Place the saucepan into the oven and roast for 15-20 minutes, depending on how well-cooked you like your meat. I test for doneness by prodding the meat gently, but a more accurate way of testing is to use a meat thermometer. Please see Notes below for temperatures.
11. Allow the lamb to rest for about 10 minutes before carving.

Kitchen Notes

• MEAT TEMPERATURE
  If you are testing with a digital meat thermometer, the reading should be as follows:
  Rare 46°C/115°F 
  Medium-Rare 48°C/120°F 
  Medium 54°C/130°F 
  Medium-Well 60°C/140°F 
  Well-done 65°C/150°F 
• VARIATIONS
  To add additional spices to this basic marinade, some suggestions are as follows:
  * 1 teaspoon dried mint
  * 1/2 to 1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
  * for a Moroccan-inspired marinade: 1/2 teaspoon each ground cumin, ground coriander, and ground cardamom
• MAKE-AHEAD TIPS
  * The lamb can be marinated the night before and kept in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before cooking.
  * The lamb can be browned on the stove 1-2 hours before serving, and kept at room temperature until ready to roast. The meat may need some extra time in the oven to warm up.
• OVEN & STOVE TEMPERATURES
  All recipes on this website have been tested on an induction stove and/or with a conventional oven (i.e. an oven without fan). All recipes on this website use temperatures for a conventional oven, unless otherwise mentioned. Convection ovens (i.e. fan-forced ovens) are typically 20°C/70°F hotter than conventional ovens, but please check your manufacturer’s handbook.
• CONVERSIONS
  To convert from cups to grams, and vice-versa, please see this handy Conversion Chart for Basic Ingredients.

Nutrition Information Nutrition Information

Calories: 340kcal, Carbohydrates: 2.2g, Protein: 39.6g, Fat: 21.2g, Cholesterol: 112mg, Sodium: 687mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 0.4g

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Update

This recipe was first published on 14 November 2017. It has been updated with new photos and more comprehensive recipe notes.SaveSave

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