Cut the lamb rack into chops, removing excess fat and silver skin and, if desired, French the bones by scraping.

Preheat the oven to 400°F

Thoroughly dry the lamb chops and lightly salt them on both sides. Let rest in the refrigerator until ready to cook.

Combine the espresso powder, cocoa powder, olive oil, sugar, and sage in a bowl. Mix thoroughly to make a thick paste. Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and set up a roasting rack over a sheet pan for the chops. Brush each lamb chop on all sides with the espresso/cocoa paste. Place each one on the roasting rack. Set aside until the sauce is done (see below). Once the sauce is done, roast the lamb for 7 minutes. Remove and let rest for a minute, then serve with a little sauce drizzled over the top and garnish with crumbled blue cheese.

In a medium saucepan, melt 1 tablespoon of the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and sauté, without browning, until softened and translucent. Add the red wine, bay leaf, peppercorns, parsley, and thyme. Cook until the wine is reduced by half (about 8 minutes) and add the beef stock. Reduce by half (about 10 minutes) and strain the mixture, discarding the solids. Return the liquid to the saucepan and continue to cook to reduce on medium low heat.

When the sauce has reduced and thickened, remove from heat, and stir in the remaining butter. Taste and add salt and pepper for seasoning.