Roasted Rack of Lamb with Blueberry Sauce

Instructions

1. Remove the rack of lamb from the refrigerator 1 hour before you plan to cook it; bring to room temperature. Use a sharp knife to score the fat cap on the top of the rack, which will help it form a crispy crust.
2. Season the meat with sea salt and pepper on all sides.
3. When the lamb has been out for about 40 minutes, preheat the oven to 450°F.
4. In a small bowl, mix the butter and crème fraîche with 1/4 teaspoon of sea salt and a few generous grinds of pepper.
5. Rub a little bit of the butter and crème fraîche mixture onto the bottom and sides of the rack, and slather the rest of it onto the top.
6. Place the rack in a large cast iron skillet. Roast lamb for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 400°F and roast for 10 more minutes for medium rare or 15 more minutes for medium, or until a meat thermometer inserted into the center reads 130° for medium rare or 135° for medium.
7. Transfer the lamb to a cutting board, cover loosely with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes.
8. In the meantime, in a small saucepan, heat blueberries, chopped shallot, lemon juice, and salt in small saucepan with a teaspoon of water.
9. Cook, stirring occasionally, for about ten minutes, or until most of the blueberries have popped and the liquid around them is syrupy.
10. Let cool for at least ten minutes, and then transfer to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Add the crème fraîche, honey and mustard; process again. Add hot water and puree until combined.
11. Return the sauce to the pan and cover to keep warm.
12. Use a carving knife to slice the rack into 6 servings. It’s easiest to start by standing the rack up and holding onto the two bones at one end with your non-­dominant hand. Using the other hand, slice down between the second and third bones with a few quick, sweeping strokes. Repeat the same method for the other pieces.
13. To serve, spoon about 2 tablespoons of sauce onto each plate; sprinkle with thyme. Top with the lamb, dragging the meat from the center of the dollop of sauce outward to create a festive swirl if desired.

Recipe Tip

It can be hard to cook a rack of lamb for people who like their meat at different degrees of doneness. Try cooking the lamb to medium rare or medium and then giving people who like their meat well done one of the end pieces. Or, you can also quickly sear any piece to cook it more thoroughly and give it even more crust. To do this, after resting and slicing the lamb, put the skillet you roasted the lamb in, along with the pan juices, on the stove over high heat. When the pan is nice and hot, add one or two lamb chops and reduce the heat to medium high. Sear for about 1 minute per side, or until nicely browned, and then serve right away with the blueberry sauce.

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