Fancy something a little special this weekend?
This is a delicious, mouth watering Spring recipe by the superb Michelin Star chef, Derry Clarke of l’Ecrivain restaurant in Dublin.

Seasoned Rack of Lamb with Roasted Vegetables in a Red Wine Jus

Note: The cooking time depends on how big your rack of lamb is, and how rare you want it cooked. Rack of lamb should be cooked rare, or at most medium rare. A rough guide is 25 minutes for every 450g of meat; this also depends your oven.

Ingredients:
1 (4 bone rack of lamb) allow for 2 per person
2 tbsp of fresh rosemary, finely chopped
2 tbsp of fresh thyme, finely chopped
2 bay leaves
4 cloves of garlic. (2 for the lamb, 2 for the baking tray)
Olive oil
3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 onions, peeled and sliced
6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 sticks of celery, diced

For the Jus:
20g butter
1 shallot, chopped
1 tbsp of sugar
200ml juice from the roasting tray
200ml Red wine
200ml Ruby port

Preparing the lamb:
Preheat your oven to 190C .
Remove most of the fat from the back of the rack, leaving some behind to flavour the meat as it cooks. French-trim the bones- this is done by cutting the fat out around each bone down to the meat. Or a good butcher might do it for you. Scrape the bones of all sinew and fat, as they will burn whilst cooking if left on.
Cut between the bones and through the eye of the lamb, leaving 1cm of meat still attached at the bottom.
Mix the rosemary, thyme, 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic & olive oil and rub into the lamb.
Put in the fridge to marinate for up to 4 hours, take the lamb out 20 minutes before serving to bring it up to room temperature.

Place on a roasting tray with the vegetables, bay leaves and 2 remaining garlic cloves. For a rare lamb rack, 25 to 30 minutes is a estimation. To check if the meat is cooked, pinch it with your fingers: if it feels soft, this means it’s rare; if its firm, it’s well done. Let the lamb rest for 10 minutes before carving. Keep the juices for the jus.

For the jus:
Melt the butter in a large saucepan and gently cook the shallot, for about three minutes. Add the sugar and cook for two minutes to caramelise. Add the red wine & port and leave to reduce by half.

Add the lamb juice and reduce to a sauce consistency. Pass through a muslin- lined sieve and keep warm until serving.

To serve:

Cut the lamb with a serrated knife, place on warmed plates and garnish with the roasted vegetables and spoon over the jus.