HQ 77 | SPRING 2012
Savannah’s Restaurant has been serving New Zealand Rack of Lamb as a house specialty since opening in 1996. Chef Matt Parkins marinates the lamb for up to 24 hours and serves it with a Rosemary Port Wine Sauce. The beauty of this cut of lamb is that since the chops are separated after grilling, they can be used as an entrée or appetizer.
You can find New Zealand rack of lamb at Sam’s Club and Walmart, usually sold in two-packs. You will need a good-quality boning knife and a container large enough to marinate the lamb after you’ve trimmed the excess fat. You can substitute domestic lamb if you are unable to find a New Zealand rack. Racks of domestic lamb are usually a bit bigger and don’t work as well with the marinade, but they are still very tasty.
Rack of Lamb
Yield: 4 entrée servings or 10-14 appetizer servings
4 New Zealand Frenched racks of lamb
1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 cup soy sauce
To trim the lamb, remove from the package and place on a cutting board with the meat side up. You will see the fat cap that starts about halfway down the bone and wraps all the way to the bottom of the meat furthest from the bone. Remove this by pulling it free with your hands, getting your finger underneath it at the bottom of the rack at the eye of the meat and gently pulling it away toward the bone. At this point, it should be completely free from the meat but still attached to the bone. Next, use a boning knife to cut the fat off the bone by holding the fat cap in one hand and running the knife along the bone until it’s all removed. You’ll notice a shiny thin membrane extending across the entire length of the meat. This is called “silver skin.” Remove this with your boning knife by holding the knife parallel to the meat and gently inserting the tip of the knife just underneath the silver skin using a back and forth motion. Slightly angle your knife away from the meat and slide it the length of the silver skin. Trim any excess silver skin that is left. Repeat with the remaining racks, and place them a container large enough to hold all four racks meat side down.
Combine the remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together. Pour the mixture over the lamb racks, cover and refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours.
Remove the meat from the marinade and let the excess drip-dry. Spray the meat with non-stick oil and grill, turning every 1½ minutes until you reach an internal temperature of 124 degrees. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes, then cut along each bone with a chef’s knife to separate the chops.
Rosemary Port Wine Sauce
Yield: 8 two-ounce servings
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons minced shallots
1 cup tawny port wine
2 cups veal demi-glace or equivalent of reduced good-quality beef stock
Salt and pepper to taste
In a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil on medium-high heat. Add the rosemary and shallots, and sauté until the rosemary is fragrant and the shallots are translucent. Pour in the tawny port wine and reduce by half. Add veal glace or beef stock, and cook until the flavors are well combined. Season with salt and pepper.
