Roasted Free-range Veal Rack with Fresh Herbs and Natural Juice
The fresh herbs added to the sauce at the last minute give this dish a crispness that reinforces the taste from the marinade. This is an elegant and easy company dinner. You can blanch the baby vegetables a day in advance and keep them in the refrigerator; allow them to come back to room temperature before reheating in the butter.
Ingredients
- Rack of Veal - 1 whole (7 chops)
- Fresh oregano, thyme, tarragon, rosemary, and chervil - 1/4 cup each, chopped (thyme is necessary, but the other herbs may be varied)
- Olive Oil - 1-1/4 cups
- Garlic Cloves - 2, peeled and chopped
- Unsalted Butter - 7 tablespoons, cut into pieces
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Garnish of baby vegetables - 1/4 pound each baby carrots, yellow beets, zucchini, haricots verts, and artichokes, cleaned and trimmed as appropriate
- Reserved Veal Stock - 2 cups
Instructions
To prepare the veal, trim away the bones encasing the eye of the veal rack and scrape the meat from the ends of the rib bones. Use the bones and trimmings to make the veal stock. Using cotton string, tie the rack between the bones to keep the meat in a cylindrical shape, and tie the roast together.
Chop all the herbs and mix half the herbs with 1 cup of the olive oil and the garlic. Rub the mixture all over the surfaces of the veal and marinate at room temperature for 2 hours, or in the refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap, overnight.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Heat the remaining olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter in a roasting pan large enough to hold the veal. When it is hot and the butter foam has started to subside, sear the veal and brown on all sides. Sprinkle the veal with salt and pepper. Roast 35 to 45 minutes, turning it over once halfway through the roasting.
While the veal is roasting, blanch the vegetables in separate batches until they are cooked but still remain slightly crisp. Toss with 3 tablespoons of the butter and keep warm.
Remove the veal to a heated platter and allow to rest for 10 minutes. Pour the grease out of the pan and deglaze the pan with the veal stock, boiling until reduced by half. Add the remaining fresh herbs, season with salt and pepper to taste, and whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
To serve: Carve the rack into chops and place on a pool of sauce. Garnish with baby vegetables. Pass extra sauce separately.
