Rosemary and Garlic Lamb with Red Wine Sauce

Every time I make this dish my husband praises me for the delicious taste and what he believes to be long and arduous hours of cooking. What he doesn’t know is that I spend about ½ an hour of actual cooking time on this dish and dedicate the remainder of those arduous hours browsing Gilt Group.

Ingredients:

-  ½ rack lamb

-  1 clove garlic, finely chopped

-  1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

-  1 tablespoon olive oil

-  ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

-  1/8 teaspoon ground pepper

-  1 cup sliced cremini mushrooms

- 1.5 cups red wine

- ¼ cup finely chopped shallots

- 3 tablespoons butter

- 1 tablespoon flour

Instructions:

Grind garlic, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper with a mortar and pestle until ingredients are well incorporated.  Using clean hands, rub this mixture all over the lamb.  Place lamb on a roasting pan, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 400.

In a medium size sauce pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium-high heat.  Add shallots and sauté until just translucent and soft.  Add an additional tablespoon of butter followed by the mushrooms.  Continue to sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add wine and bring to a slight boil. Reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes.  In a small bowl mix flour and remaining tablespoon of room temperature butter until a paste is formed.  Whisk the paste into the sauce and continue stirring until sauce thickens.

Remove lamb from the refrigerator and cook at for 10 minutes or until a crispy crust forms.  Using tin foil, tent the top of the lamb and continue to cook until a meat thermometer registers 130° in the thickest part of the rack.  Cut the rack with a large sharp knife or a clever.  Serve over rice and top with red wine sauce.