Roast Rack of Lamb with Persillade

Do the math: Seven ribs per rack, with only a couple of bites per rib, means you need two racks for four people. But fourteen ribs could easily serve five or even six people, with plenty of side dishes. Make sure the chine bone is removed (ask the butcher) so you can easily cut through the ribs to separate them at the table. But don’t bother to ask to have the ribs “frenched” (the meat removed from the top of the bones); the crisp meat along the bones is one of the pleasures of a rack of lamb. You didn’t want to use little frilly doilies on top of the bones anyway, did you?

2 racks of lamb, about 2 pounds each

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup bread crumbs, preferably fresh

1/2 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

1 teaspoon minced garlic

• Heat the oven to 500 F. Trim the lamb of excess fat, but leave a layer of fat over the meat. Cut about halfway down the bones between the chops; this allows the meat between them to become crisp.
• Combine the remaining ingredients and rub over the meat side of the racks. Put them in a roasting pan and put in the oven; roast for 20 minutes and insert an instant-read meat thermometer straight in from one end into the meatiest part. If it reads 125 F or more, remove the lamb immediately. If it reads less, put the lamb back for 5 minutes, no more. Remove and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve, separating the ribs by cutting down straight through them.

MAKES: 4 servings

TIME: 30 minutes