ANNIVERSARY RACK OF LAMB WITH WHITE BEANS AND ROSEMARY

dreamy wedding photography by meg ruth photo

Three years ago today Warren and I gathered with our dearest friends and family and were wed in Washington, D.C. Last year we spent our anniversary tooling around on our new bikes and going to an Andrew Bird concert. The year before that, we roamed across South Korea and visited orphanages, including Kyeong Dong Children's Home, where I lived for three months before being adopted. And yes, these are kids from Kyeong Dong absolutely killing it Gangam style in glorious bedazzled dance outfits.

This year we are MoROCK'n it by riding camels through the Sahara desert and exploring the wonders of Marrakesh. Jason Bourne would be proud. To celebrate our three year anniversary and to prepare for our Moroccan adventure, we made a rack of lamb all fragrant with rosemary and lemons and simmered in a tomato white bean sauce. 

Having never made lamb before, I was kind of intimidated. But it turns out lamb benefits from very little fuss. Just a few minutes to sear in a hot pan and a few more to finish in the oven. To make life even easier, we bought our rack of lamb already frenched (which is a fancy way of saying the butcher scraped the bone tips clean). Rack o' lamb is not cheap but it is well worth it for a special dinner  for two. We bought this during the after Easter sales and froze it for later use. Worked like a charm.    

RACK OF LAMB WITH WHITE BEANS AND ROSEMARY

Adapted from Meijer's Mealbox

• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary chopped
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 small onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted tomatoes, with liquid
• 1 14.5 oz. can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed (Great Northern work too)
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 lemon, quartered
• 1 sprig of fresh rosemary

2-3 hours before you want to eat, set the lamb on the counter and bring to room temperature. Right before cooking, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Salt and pepper the lamb. Heat olive oil in a large non-stick, oven-safe pan on high. Sear the lamb for about two minutes per side, or until a nice golden crust forms. Set the lamb aside. Sprinkle with lemon zest, dried oregano, and rosemary. Rub the herbs in so they're evenly dispersed across the meat.

In the same hot pan you seared the lamb in, add the chicken stock and scrape all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for about five minutes. Add the tomatoes, cannellini beans, tomato paste, lemon, and rosemary sprig. Bring to a simmer and add the lamb back to the pan.

Put the pan in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check at about 15 minutes. We prefer lamb medium rare (140 F). When the meat is done, let it rest for 10 minutes. Carve the lamb into individual pieces and serve over the white bean broth. And that's how it's done. 

photos by meg ruth

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Need more meat in your life? Please, please, please try roasting your own chicken. For instance, the roast chicken love child of Thomas Keller and Ina Garten. It is awesome. As are the slow cooker carnitas.