Roast Lamb Racks with Lemon and Garlic
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.
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
- In a small bowl, mix together the oil, salt, pepper, lemon and garlic.
- Place the racks of lamb into a large ziplock freezer bag.
- Pour the marinade into the bag, seal the bag, and make sure that the racks of lamb are well coated in the marinade.
- 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.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/390°F (without fan).
- Let the meat come to room temperature before cooking.
- Heat the extra oil in a large oven-proof saucepan which will fit both racks of lamb comfortably.
- On a medium-high heat, sear the racks of lamb on each side until they are nicely browned.
- Once both sides of the racks of lamb have been seared, quickly position them on the saucepan so that the bones are standing upwards.
- 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.
- 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.