Oven Roasted Rack Of Lamb Recipe

Although I traditionally make a ham as the main dish for our Easter dinner, this year I am going to make Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb instead. Although it is very common to serve lamb for Easter across many countries and cultures, in my house we traditionally celebrate Easter with a complete ham dinner.

However, when I was traveling on Easter weekend a few years back, I was invited to celebrate the holiday with friends. That is when I first had the pleasure of having lamb as the main dish for Easter dinner.

With just one taste I was simply blown away by how tender and how flavorful it was. That is when I knew that I wanted to make this same recipe for my family back home.

Surprisingly, I quickly learned that this impressive looking dish is super easy to make. With just 5 ingredients, in addition to salt and fresh ground black pepper, the meat is prepared and ready to roast.

However, with any new recipe, I was quite nervous making it for the first time. But I am so glad that I decided to give it a try.

As soon as it came out of the oven I knew that I had made something just as special as I remembered. The meat was not only melt in your mouth tender, it was also flavored perfectly!

The entire family raved about how delicious the recipe turned out and now asks me to make it every Easter! I would say that this recipe is definitely a keeper not only for Easter, but for any special occasion.

Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb Recipe

*Specific measurements and complete recipe instructions are located in a printable recipe card at the bottom of this article. However, be sure to continue to read the tips and tricks to making this recipe below.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 rack of lamb, bones exposed, approximately 8 ribs
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• Olive oil spray
• 1 teaspoon Kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 3/4 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning

INSTRUCTIONS

Although this recipe takes less than 30 minutes in the oven, a little advance preparation is required. Therefore, an hour and 45 minutes before you want to serve the lamb for dinner, remove the meat from the refrigerator.

Then line a large rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with olive oil spray. Place the lamb on the prepared baking sheet, fat side up.

Using a sharp knife, make small, shallow slits in the fat, about 1 inch apart. Then peel your garlic cloves and slice them into thin sections.

Now place a piece of garlic into each slit that you made in the fat layer. When the fat renders down during the roasting process, the garlic will infuse flavor directly into the meat.

Set the pan aside while you prepare the seasoning. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried Italian seasoning. Then brush both sides with a generous amount of olive oil.

Sprinkle the prepared seasoning on both sides of the meat, patting it lightly so that it sticks to the surface. Now let the rack of lamb sit for 1 hour before it is put in the oven to be roasted so that the lamb can come to room temperature.  

Bring The Rack of Lamb To Room Temperature

Do not skip this process! If you put the meat in the oven when it is still cold, the meat fibers will tense up due to the extreme temperature difference. Therefore, the meat will turn out tough when cooked.

Instead, allow the meat to rest at room temperature for an hour. This will also allow the seasonings to marinate the meat, making it even more tender when cooked.

Once the rack of lamb has been at room temperature for an hour, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and cook for 25 minutes, or until a good, quality instant-read digital food thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches 135°F (57°C) for medium-rare doneness.

For medium doneness, roast for approximately 30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 145°F (60°C). Remove the baking sheet from the oven and transfer the rack of lamb to a cutting board.

Cover with lamb with aluminum foil and allow the meat to rest for 10 minutes. Then when you are ready to serve, carefully cut the rack of lamb between the bones with a sharp knife.

Serve immediately with your favorite side dishes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Because this recipe may not be one that you have ever tried or are familiar with, let me answer a few common questions that you may have.

1. Where do I buy a rack of lamb?

Depending on the time of the year you may not find a rack of lamb at your standard grocery store. However you can ask your butcher to order one and it will probably be there in less than 48 hours.

Because we celebrate holidays a few weeks in advance (so I can share holiday recipes with you in a timely matter) I had to order one but you may have more luck finding one at the grocery closer to the actual holiday.

I have also seen them for sale at the larger, wholesale clubs as well.

2. Should I trim the fat off the meat?

When you purchase a rack of lamb you will notice that one side has a layer of fat. Do not trim this fat section off.

First, when the fat is cooked, the flavor renders into the meat itself making it tender and juicy. Second, there is a small section of meat that is surrounded by the fat layer that you do not want to discard.

3. Do I really have to wait an hour before putting the rack of lamb in the oven?

Unfortunately, the only way to get super tender meat that is mouth watering delicious, is to allow the rack of lamb to come to room temperature.

Although you could technically cook it right out of the refrigerator, you will be essentially throwing away the money that you spent on this cut of meat. Do yourself a favor and plan ahead so you have enough time to wait.

4. What should I serve with an Oven Roasted Rack of Lamb?

When you are deciding what you want to serve with the lamb, go for mild flavors that will compliment the meat, not over power it.

Mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes, garlic smashed potatoes, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, and side salads are all great choices. Remember, you want the lamb to be the star of the show.

Enjoy! Mary

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