Rosemary-Crusted Rack of Lamb With Balsamic Sauce

Ask your butcher for a French-cut rack of lamb (for which bones have been cleaned down to loin).

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 lamb chops and about 2 teaspoons sauce)

Ingredients

• 1  (1 1/2-pound) French-cut lean rack of lamb (about 8 ribs)
• 3  tablespoons  balsamic vinegar
• 3  teaspoons  chopped fresh or 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, divided
• 2  garlic cloves, minced
• 1/8  teaspoon  pepper
• 1/4  cup  fresh breadcrumbs
• Cooking spray
• 1/2  teaspoon  olive oil
• 1/4  cup  minced shallots
• 1/4  cup  dry white wine
• 1/2  cup  low-salt chicken broth
• 2  teaspoons  honey
• 1/2  teaspoon  cornstarch
• Thyme sprigs (optional)
• Red grapes (optional)

Preparation

Trim fat from lamb. Combine vinegar, 2 teaspoons rosemary, and minced garlic in a large zip-top plastic bag. Add the lamb to bag, and seal. Marinate in refrigerator for at least 6 to 12 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 450°.

Remove lamb from bag, reserving marinade. Sprinkle lamb with pepper. Combine the breadcrumbs and 1 teaspoon chopped rosemary, and pat breadcrumb mixture into meaty side of lamb. Place lamb, meat side up, on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of lamb, making sure not to touch bone. Bake lamb at 450° for 20 minutes or until the meat thermometer registers 145° (medium-rare) or until the lamb is desired degree of doneness.

Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; add shallots, and sauté for 4 minutes. Add white wine and reserved marinade, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 8 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates. Add chicken broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 5 minutes). Combine honey and cornstarch, and add to the broth mixture. Bring to a boil, and cook for 1 minute, stirringconstantly.

Slice rack into 8 chops. Serve sauce with lamb; garnish with thyme sprigs and red grapes, if desired.

Note: You can use 3/4 cup low-salt chicken broth and omit the wine, if desired.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

208 (45% from fat)

Fat:

10.3g (sat 3.4g,mono 4.2g,poly 1g)

Protein:

20.6g

Carbohydrate:

7.7g

Fiber:

0.2g

Cholesterol:

65mg

Iron:

2.2mg

Sodium:

87mg

Calcium:

25mg