Mustard Crusted Rack of Lamb

Directions

• Crust the Lamb
• Trim the lamb of excess fat and French the bones if desired. Dry the lamb as much as you can and set aside on a wire rack over a small pan or sheet tray. In a small bowl, combine the mustard, black pepper, 2 tsp of the kosher salt, and the finely chopped mint leaves.
• Coat the lamb with the mustard mixture. Let the lamb rest in the refrigerator for at least an hour and up to several hours on your wire rack. After the lamb has rested, in a separate bowl combine the remaining ½ tsp of kosher salt and the breadcrumbs. Gently coat the lamb with the breadcrumbs and set aside.
• Cook the Lamb
• Preheat your oven to 450°F.
• In an oven proof pan (cast iron works the best) heat the clarified butter over medium heat. Gently place the rack of lamb bone side down in the pan. Baste the sides and top of the lamb with the hot clarified butter. Do not flip the lamb as the coating is delicate and may stick to the pan, which will cause the coating to come off the meat.
• Once you’ve basted your lamb for a few minutes, remove from the stove and pour off excess clarified butter. Put the cast iron with the lamb into the oven and cook until the internal temperature of the lamb reaches 120-125°F*. The roasting should take between 18 and 22 minutes, so temp your roast at about the 16-minute mark so you have an idea of how much longer you’ll need.
• When done, remove the lamb from the oven and place on a cutting board. Tent the roast with aluminum foil (not tightly) and let the meat rest for 10-12 minutes before cutting.
• Prepare the sauce
• This can be done while the lamb roasts. Heat a saucepan over medium heat. Add the peppercorns and toast them, moving the pan often, for about a minute to release the oils and intensify the flavor. Remove the peppercorns to a bowl and set aside.
• In the same saucepan, add the oil and heat over medium. Add the shallots and sweat them until they are translucent. Cook the shallot until the edges start to show some brown color. Once they do, add back the peppercorns, and carefully pour the wine in. Simmer the wine until there is about a quarter cup of liquid left.
• Strain the sauce, reserving the liquid and pressing on the solids to remove all juices. Discard the solids and add the liquid back to the pan. Add the kosher salt and reduce until there is about a tablespoon of liquid remaining. Leave this on low until your lamb is out of the oven.
• Once the lamb is out of the oven and resting, remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Once three tablespoons of butter have been incorporated, add the mint, and stir it in. Continue to add the butter until completely incorporated. If the sauce cools off too much to melt the butter, put the pan back over low heat to warm it up. Do not ever bring the sauce back to a boil or it will break. Taste and adjust for seasoning if necessary.
• Serve
• Slice the lamb into double or single chops. Serve with the mint butter sauce.