From Chef and author Wolfgang Puck

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  Rack of Lamb with Rosemary and Artichokes
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  Mushrooms with Fine Herbs
  Sweet Potato Crisp
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Ingredients

Directions

Trim all but a thin layer of fat from the lamb. Cut off the last 2 inches of the rib bones. Reserve all the trimmings. Rub the rack with pepper and the rosemary sprig, then rub it with olive oil. Cover the rack with plastic wrap and let it stand in the refrigerator overnight.

Make lamb stock: brown the cut lamb bones and trimmings in a little olive oil. Add the mirepoix and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the peppercorns and bay leaf. Add water to cover, bring it to a boil and simmer slowly until the stock is reduced to 1/2 cup. Strain and reserve.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the lamb in a shallow roasting pan and season it with salt. Roast the rack for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the lamb is medium rare. Transfer the lamb to a carving board and let it rest in a warm spot for 10 minutes.

Slice the artichoke bottoms into thin slices and toss them with lemon juice. In a sauté pan, sauté the artichoke slices slowly in 2 tablespoons of the butter, the thyme leaves, salt, pepper and 2 of the garlic cloves, cut into thin slices, until the artichokes are tender. Add more butter if necessary as they cook. Reserve.

While the lamb is resting, discard any grease from the roasting pan. Deglaze the pan with the lamb stock. Add the chopped rosemary. When the sauce has reduced slightly, whisk in 1 tablespoon of the butter. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and strain it. Keep the sauce warm.

Heat a sauté pan, add the remaining butter and in it sauté the remaining garlic cloves until light golden brown.

Letting the lamb rest after roasting distributes the juices evenly throughout the meat.

For a beautiful presentation, slice the lamb into chops. Arrange them on warm dinner plates and surround with the artichokes. Spoon the sauce over the lamb and scatter the garlic cloves randomly over the artichoke slices.

Serves 2

From Wolfgang Puck: Adventures in the Kitchen (Random House Publishing).

Spencer Christian's Wine Selection:
This rack of lamb is a very hearty dish. I recommend a rich, full-bodied red wine like a cabernet sauvignon or a syrah. Two cabernets that come to mind are Stag's Leap and Freemark Abbey. For a good syrah, I suggest Fess Parker Vineyards.

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