Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb

The best roast rack of lamb recipe is the one that yields tender, rosy meat and a beautifully browned crust. Done right, it’s a flavor-packed showstopper of a main dish. But with its high price tag, irregular shape, and many rib bones, rack of lamb can be intimidating to trim, cook, and serve. The one critical fail-safe is an instant-read thermometer, which will ensure the oven-roasted meat is cooked exactly to your desired doneness.

This recipe calls for frenched lamb racks, which simply means the bones extending out of the meat are trimmed and cleaned of any membrane. If your rack isn’t already frenched, you can do so yourself or simply leave the membrane attached–frenching is for presentation only and will not affect the flavor or quality of the dish. You may also need to trim the fat cap on each rack to a thin layer, which will render during the cooking process. (Your butcher may have already done this—for those trimming their lamb at home, note that it’s most easily done while the meat is cold.)

Though breadcrumb coatings are classic, they can be finicky and fall off in clumps. Leaving out the crumbs as we do here lightens the dish, and the juicy chops taste more springy as a result. For the best flavor, sear the meat first to develop a crispy brown crust, then dress the fat side with the garlicky herb topping that’ll infuse the lamb with flavor as it finishes in the oven.