A perfectly cooked, medium-rare oven roasted rack of lamb is mouth-wateringly delicious. The individually carved lamb chops are juicy, rosy and so rich and tender. They present beautifully, either plated individually and served to guests or delivered up family style on a carving board or serving platter at the table. An important thing to remember with lamb is that the flavor of the meat itself is so good that you don’t want to go overboard with the seasonings and herbs. They are intended to complement and highlight the flavor of the lamb, rather than overpower and dominate it.
Roasted Rack of Lamb is Perfect for Holidays & Entertaining!
Carved into individual chops, one rack of lamb perfectly portions itself into two chops per person so it’s just right for four people. If you have more people at your table, you can easily roast multiple racks of lamb at the same time, then stand them against each other with the ribs crossing for an even more impressive display. Roasted rack of lamb is a great alternative for Christmas, New Year’s, Valentine’s Day or Easter dinner. Honestly, it’s probably easier than most of the more traditional alternatives! And really, why wait for a holiday when rack of lamb is easy enough to be prepared any night of the week? Lamb isn’t nearly as popular in the United States as other meat options, but it really should be! It is generally quick and easy to prepare and really versatile! If you haven’t cooked lamb at home before, give this a try and let me know what you think!
What is Frenched Rack of Lamb?
A rack of lamb is one of the best cuts of lamb that comes from the ribs. It’s such a wonderful cut of meat that it makes serving a restaurant quality meal at home almost entirely effortless, especially if you buy your rack of lamb already frenched for you. Frenching is a technique where the rib bones are exposed by cutting away the fat and sinew covering them, and most of the lamb that you will find in many American grocery stores will already come frenched, or you can ask a butcher to do it for you. But if you want to French a rack of lamb yourself, this tutorial from Simply Recipes has great step-by-step photos to explain the process.
Rack of Lamb Marinade
Oil – This is the base of the marinade. I like to use olive oil, but you can use your favorite kind. Rosemary, Thyme & Garlic – Fresh rosemary, fresh thyme leaves, and fresh garlic cloves are best here for the best results when roasting. Lemon – We’ll need the zest from 1 lemon, but not the lemon juice. Salt & Black Pepper – Use coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper for the best flavor.
Make the herb seasoning ahead of time and marinate the lamb overnight if you would like, or just spread it over the meaty portion of the lamb and let it sit while the lamb comes to room temperature for an hour before roasting. I like to keep it simple with just olive oil, fresh rosemary and thyme, some cloves of garlic, and the zest of one lemon.
How to Cook Rack of Lamb
Temperature & Time for This Roasted Lamb Rack Recipe
We enjoy lamb cooked to a perfect medium-rare. For the record, I think rack of lamb is one of the easiest cuts of meat to cook without using a thermometer to check it’s temperature just by making sure the oven is properly preheated and cooking according to the times in the recipe below. But you certainly can use a digital meat thermometer (affiliate link) to gauge where your lamb is a temperature scale to determine doneness. For those who may want their lamb cooked to a different degree of doneness than medium-rare, here is a temperature chart that you will hopefully find helpful:
Rare: 120-130°F (very red inside still) Medium-Rare: 130-140°F (bright pink inside) Medium: 140-145°F (light pink inside) Medium-Well: 145-150°F (barely any pink left) Well-Done: 150-160°F (no pink at all)
Remember that the rack of lamb will need to rest for 10 minutes after you pull it out of the oven so the juices can redistribute. During this time the temperature can continue to rise another 5°F or so. So for example, if I was targeting a final temperature of 130°F for a perfect medium-rare, I would take the lamb out of the oven when it reached 125°F and let it rise the final 5 degrees on it’s own before slicing.
Roasted Rack of Lamb Tips
Rack of lamb weight. The weight of a rack of lamb that is frenched is up to 25-30% less than a rack of lamb that is not. Be mindful of this when buying your rack of lamb. Marinate overnight. Make the herb seasoning ahead of time and marinate the lamb overnight for a more intense flavor. Frenching the rack of lamb. If you want to French a rack of lamb yourself, this tutorial from Simply Recipes has great step-by-step photos to explain the process.
What to serve with this Frenched Rack of Lamb Recipe
When planning what to serve with rack of lamb, keep in mind that the main dish itself is rich on its own. Because of that, I like to serve it with vegetables like oven roasted asparagus, baked butternut squash, or the honey steamed broccolini from this post. It’s also great with a perfect salt crusted baked potato and a side salad like this wonderful persimmon, pomegranate, and spinach salad.
Storing Roasted Lamb Rack
If you have any leftovers, let them cool completely, then store them in an airtight container or Ziploc bag in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
More Lamb Recipes
Baked Greek Feta Meatballs Shepherd’s Pie Lamb Barbacoa Sriracha Mayo Marinated Grilled Lamb Chops
More Special Occasion Recipes
Looking for the perfect main dish for a special occasion? My Garlic Herb Butter Beef Tenderloin Roast or a Prime Rib Roast with Horseradish Sauce is perfect for a holiday feast or celebratory dinner. For a smaller group, Bacon-Wrapped Pork Tenderloin is always a hit. And you can’t go wrong with my mom’s Slow Roasted Oven BBQ Beef Brisket or Chicken Cordon Bleu.
Garlic & Herb Roast Boneless Leg of Lamb
Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Pomegranate Apricot Glaze
The BEST Pan Seared Lamb Chops
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