Scottish Lamb with a Tomato Rosemary Reduction

Servings:

Cooking Time:

Ingredients:

• 2 Racks of Lamb, cleaned (save bones)
• 1 tbsp Rosemary, fresh chopped
• 1 tbsp Tarragon, fresh chopped
• 2 tsp Basil, fresh chopped
• 2 whole tomatoes, diced
• 16 whole shallots, 4 diced, 12 quartered
• 1 cup red wine
• 1 cup beef stock
• ½ cup chicken stock
• 1 clove garlic
• 4 handfuls fresh spinach
• 1 tbsp olive oil, or vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Place lamb bones that you saved while cleaning the lamb into a roasting pan or baking sheet and place in the oven. Let them brown. Set aside when finished.
• Place a sauté pan over med-high heat with the oil to get hot. When the oil is hot (you'll hear little popping sounds), add the diced shallots and sauté until brown.
• Once the shallots have browned, add the rosemary, tarragon, garlic, bones and beef stock to the pan. Season the sauce and reduce over med heat.
• Set another sauté pan with 1 tablespoon of butter over med-high heat.
• Season the lamb and brown it in the sauté pan. Be very careful, you don't want the meat to cook too much, or it will overcook in the oven and dry out! Once the meat is browned, place in the oven and set timer for 15 minutes. Save the pan.
• By now your beef stock sauce should have reduced by at least half, add the red wine to it and reduce once again.
• Take the sauté pan you used for the lamb and sauté the 6 quartered shallots until brown.
• Add the chicken stock and season it with salt only. Reduce by half.
• By now, the beef stock and red wine reduction should be reduced by half again. Strain the sauce into a saucepan. Discard the herbs, shallots, and garlic clove.
• Add the tomatoes, basil and the butter to the sauce and reduce by half again (I know this gets tedious!). One it has reduced, cover and keep it fairly hot.
• Now, add the spinach to the chicken stock and steam it. It won't take very long so keep an eye on it. Once the spinach is steamed, strain the shallots and spinach out of the sauce. Save the shallots and spinach.
• By now the lamb should be ready. Cut into the center of each piece and check it, it should be medium or pink. If it is not done to your satisfaction, then place back into the oven for a couple of minutes to finish.
• Once done, slice each rack into even slices. Set half of the spinach in the center of each plate and place 6 shallots around it in a circle. Take the lamb and layer it over the spinach. Pour the sauce liberally over each rack.
• Garnish with a fresh sprig of rosemary.

This is a somewhat difficult dish. I don't recommend it to anyone who isn't familiar with cleaning racks of lamb or reducing sauces.

The recipe tastes best when fresh herbs are used, though substituting dried herbs is no problem. Also, when you are purchasing your racks of lamb, be sure to get a nice, healthy cut as they may shrink a little. 10 oz. precooked and cleaned weight is ideal. If you prefer to not clean your racks and use pre-cleaned racks, ask your butcher or grocer if he/she has any of the bones available.