Roasted Rack of Lamb with Ratatouille Polenta and Black Olive Lamb Jus
A flavorful sauce of lamb stock, wine, and nicoise olives complements roast lamb. The polenta is combined with a fennel-scented ratatouille that you can make yourself, or you can buy ratatouille in a specialty foods shop. A recipe for ratatouille is included below.
Ingredients
- Lamb - 2 racks (16 ribs)
- Olive Oil - /2 cup plus 2 tablespoons
- Garlic Cloves - 2, thinly sliced
- Thyme - 1 fresh sprig, coarsely chopped
- Rosemary Sprigs - 1 fresh, coarsely chopped
- Black Pepper - 1 tablespoon, cracked
- Black Olive Lam Jus
- Cabernet Red Wine - 1/2 cup
- Roasted lamb juices (above)
- Lamb Stock - 1 cup
- Thyme - 1 fresh sprig
- Nicoise Olives - 1/2 cup, pitted, chopped
- Unsalted Butter - 2 tablespoons
- Ratatouille Polenta
- Milk - 3/4 cup
- Chicken Stock - 3/4 cup
- Polenta (coarse yellow cornmeal) - 1/2 cup
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fennel Seeds - 1/2 teaspoon, crushed
- Ratatouille - 1/2 cup, homemade or purchased
- Fresh rosemary sprigs for garnish
- Ratatouille
- Olive Oil - 6 tablespoons
- Eggplant - 1 cup, 1/4-inch cubed
- Onion - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Red and yellow bell peppers - 1 cup, finely diced
- Zucchini - 1 cup, finely diced
- Yellow Squash - 1/2 cup, finely diced
- Garlic Cloves - 4 to 5 minced
- Basil - 1 tablespoon, minced, fresh
- Thyme - 1 tablespoon, minced, fresh
- Tomato - 1, peeled, seeded, and diced
Instructions
Combine the 1/2 cup olive oil, the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and pepper in a baking pan. Add the lamb, and turn to coat it. Cover and refrigerate. Before cooking, scrape most of the marinade herbs and garlic from the meat to prevent burning and bitter flavor.
Preheat the oven to 450 F. In a large saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil and sear the lamb for 2 to 3 minutes. Place the lamb in the oven and roast for 15 minutes, turning the lamb halfway through the cooking time. Remove from the oven and let rest, bone-side down, for 5 to 7 minutes before carving.
To make the lamb jus: Place the roasting pan over high heat, add the wine, and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Pour in any juices that have drained from the resting lamb. Cook the pan liquid over medium heat to reduce it until almost dry. Add the stock and thyme, and cook to reduce to 3/4 cup, about 8 to 10 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine-meshed sieve, add the olives, and swirl in the butter. Set aside in a warm place.
To make the polenta: Combine the milk and chicken stock in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Whisk in the cornmeal, and continue to whisk while bringing the mixture back to a boil. Stirring constantly, cook for 2 to 3 more minutes over medium-high heat, or until the polenta has thickened and is of a creamy consistency. Add the salt and pepper, cover, and set aside in a warm place. Just before serving, add the fennel seeds to the ratatouille and stir the ratatouille into the polenta.
To serve: Carve the racks into chops. Place one scoop of polenta on each serving plate and nap with a portion of the sauce. Stand the chops around the polenta and garnish with fresh rosemary sprigs.
Ratatouille
In a large saute pan or skillet over high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil and saute the eggplant until it begins to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the onion and another 2 tablespoons of oil, season with salt and pepper, and cook until the vegetables are a light golden brown, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, in another large saute pan or skillet over high heat, heat the remaining two tablespoons olive oil. Add the peppers, zucchini, squash, garlic, salt, pepper, and herbs, and saute for 5 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender. Transfer the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and add the diced tomato and sauteed eggplant. Warm through.
