much the same way I cook my butter-basted steak (see
here): skip the oven completely and roast it in a moderately
hot pan on the stovetop. The same basic rules apply.
Dry the rack and season it liberally either at least 45
minutes before cooking or immediately before
cooking.
- Don’t bother letting it come to room temperature if
cooking it immediately; it’ll cook about the same either
way. - Use the heaviest pan you’ve got, for more even heat
distribution and a better sear. - Manage your temperature so that the lamb is perfectly
browned just when the center hits medium-rare. - Don’t crowd the pan—a couple of racks in a 12-inch
skillet is about the most you can do at once. - Flip as often as you’d like—this leads to faster, more
even cooking. - Don’t add butter until close to the end, or it’ll burn.
- Make sure to brown the edges of the racks!
- Let the meat rest before carving and serving.
The only other issue with a rack of lamb is its somewhat
awkward shape. Because of the curvature of the bones, it’s
basically impossible to get good contact with the skillet on
the inside curve of the bones. The solution is to simply not
bother trying. Rather than letting the inside curve of the
bones cook via the heat of the pan, it’s better to cook them
by basting them with hot fat.
Rack of lamb is expensive, which may have turned you