Rack of lamb with plum sauce and roasted potatoes
When I asked my dad what he wanted for his birthday meal, I just knew that lamb would show up somewhere. As much of a foodie and adventurous eater he is, lamb is his just one of those items that if he sees it on a menu, 90% of the time that's what he'll order. The birthday boy gets what he wants, but I wanted to put a new spin on it for him.
I stumbled on this recipe and just knew this was the one for him - not only was it for rack of lamb (his favorite cut), it called for a spice rub that was just screaming his name. Pair that with the deliciously spicy/sweet plum sauce along with rosemary roasted potatoes and the main meal was complete.
This was a celebration meal for sure, but you could easily use this rub/sauce combination on another cut of meat - leg of lamb, steak, let your imagination run with it. Hope you enjoy this as much as we all did!
Rack of lamb with plum sauce
Adapted from My Recipes
Level: Easy
Time: About an hour
Ingredients
Lamb
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon hot paprika
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 French cut racks of lamb (8 ribs each; roughly 1.5 pounds each)
4 shallots, thinly sliced
Olive oil
Cooking spray
Plum sauce
1 3/4 cups water
1 1/2 cups pitted dried plums (prunes), chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon hot paprika
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Combine all the spices for the lamb in a bowl. Coat the racks of lamb in olive oil, then rub the spice mixture over them.
Coat a roasting pan in cooking spray and spread the shallots around the pan; top with lamb. Bake for 30 minutes or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 130 degrees (these will be medium rare, which is how my dad and I prefer lamb). Let stand 10 minutes and then slice into chops. Discard the shallots.
Meanwhile prepare the sauce: combine all ingredients except the lemon juice in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to medium and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice then serve with the lamb.
Rosemary roasted potatoes
Adapted from My Recipes
Level: Easy
Time: About 45 minutes
Ingredients
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 shallots, thinly sliced
2 pounds multicolored fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise (I used a great mix of purple, red, and white potatoes)
2 teaspoons fresh chives, chopped
Directions
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Mix together all ingredients except the chives in a large bowl. Spread potatoes out on a baking sheet and bake for about 30 minutes, tossing around halfway through.
Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chives.
Mangia!