Rack of Lamb with Fig Sauce

This has become a staple special winter meal. Summer time, I always grill the lamb. Winter, roasting and adding this simple sauce make a stand out meal. I serve this with risotto or a white bean casserole and whatever green vegetable I have, though asparagus is one of my favorites to pair with this. The racks we are able to get will feed two people with eight small chops. When making a pan sauce, it is important that you do not use a nonstick pan.  A cast iron or other non-coated pan will work best.  My pans are all oven-safe so it makes for less mess to clean up when I can finish roasting them in the oven without transferring dishes.

Ingredients:

2 Racks of Lamb

1 shallot, minced

1 cup of chicken stock

2 tsps of fig jam or diced, dried mission figs

Olive Oil

Salt (Kosher recommended) & pepper

Preheat your oven to 425. Heat your pan over medium heat until very hot (oil should shimmer but not smoke).  Season all sides of the lamb with salt and pepper.  Add olive oil to your pan to prevent sticking and add the meat, chop (and fat) side down. Sear for 5 minutes, raising the heat if necessary, flip so the meat part of the rack is face up and sear 5 more minutes.  Finish cooking in the oven, 10-20 minutes depending on your desired doneness and the thickness of the meat.

Remove the lamb from the oven and place on a dish to rest. Pour off all of the fat except about a tsp and place back on the stove over medium heat.  Add diced shallots and saute, stirring for about 2 minutes until softened.  Add in the chicken stock and simmer until reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and add in the fig jam, stirring to distribute evenly. Slice the lamb into chops and pour the sauce over before serving.  Alternately, if you are using diced dried figs, add them to the pan when you add the shallots and continue the sauce with the addition of the chicken stock.