Early on in January, I received an unexpected email from Carman, a long-lost friend that she was coming to Europe and perhaps she could spend a few days in Switzerland. I was very happy indeed and invited her to stay at our place. I have not thought she has also grown to such a big interest in cooking. Over those few days we had so much cooking experience exchanges, she showed case her signature Roasted rack of lamb to my family. It was really crisp and easy to make in her way, the lamb & vegetables all roasted in a baking tray. The lamb does not even need to be seared before putting into the oven. We bought 2 racks of lamb that day but only cooked one of them, and of course for such delicious food, one rack is never enough but too late to realize it. We kept the second in the freezer.

And tonight, I though it’s time to make it myself. Instead of Carman’s marinade (see below) I have just another marinade which has long been on my To-cook list. That’s Peter’s of Kalofagas Tangy Maple mustard rack of lamb, this is probably one of the earlier posts I read in Peter’s blog which has made me keep coming back to Peter’s blog. And now I have everything at home, even the Canadian Maple Syrup, so why not give a go at it.

So here is my version with a little twist:

Ingredients:

• 2 rack of lamb (I halved the marinade this time, as I only have one rack of lamb)

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup walnut oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary (dip the rosemary in some boiling water for a few seconds will even push the flavor out)
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of shallots, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp coarse sea salt

Directions:

1. Rinse the rack of lamb and pat dry on kitchen towels.
2. Prepare the marinade by mixing the above ingredients in a bowl.
3. Marinade the lamb in a big tray for an hour.
4. Prepare the vegetables you like, such as carrots, mushrooms, courgettes and potatoes, cut them into pieces. Cook the potatoes in boiling water for a few minutes as they need longer cooking time.
5. Line all vegetables onto a baking tray, pour  a little olive oil or walnut oil over the vegetable, sprinkle some salt and pepper and toss.
6. Preheat the oven to 200ºC.
7. When it’s time, place the lamb on top of the vegetables but without the marinade liquid but you can add more of the marinade ingredients on top of the lamb. Place the baking tray in the oven and bake for 40-45 mins.
8. For the leftover marinade, don’t throw away, heat it up in a saucepan, squeeze in the rest of the orange into the marinade, let it boil in medium high heat until the liquid is reduced to become a thicker sauce. 
9. When cooked sliced the rack of lamb in pieces and serve with the assorted vegetables and sauce.

For the first time I baked for 48 mins, this is about medium but I will go for a few minutes less next time to get more rosé. Yet the lamb was already very tender and succulent. My family was very happy with the special taste of the sauce and the little boy kept asking for more sauce and more lamb but unfortunately that was it until next time.

This dinner was also meaningful to us, athough it was  just a normal dinner but I have used the garlic (really last few cloves) and walnut oil we bought during our summer holiday in Sarlat & Bordeaux, France. And I have paired with my favorite wine from the wine futures I bought a few years ago which the shipment has just arrived recently, so a good excuse to sample one of the them, of which they are all from the same region.

As Peter of Kalofagas said this is a dish that can impress your partner and dinner guests! I totally agree, it’s so easy to prepare that the host can relax and mingle with the guests with a glass of wine while waiting.

Here is my friend, Carmen’s version of Roasted Rack of Lamb’s:

• 3 Sprigs Fresh Rosemary
• Dijon Mustard 
• Coarse Sea Salt
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 8 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Method:

1. Rub mustard on lamb
2. Crush garlic with pistle & portar, add olive oil, sea salt, and black pepper to get a paste +
3. Add & mix in the finely chopped rosemary (boil water dip rosemary for a few second to get the flavor out)
4. Preheat oven 200 degree celcius and bake for 40-45 mins. Thicker rack of lamb may need up to 50 mins
5. Bake assorted vegetables as desired underneath the lamb.

To: Carman and Peter from Kalofagas (not to mix up with my Peter), thanks to both of you, now I can make a perfect rack of lamb !!! This is a dish that I will repeat again and again!

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