Carré d’Agneau à la Toscane

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12 by 8-inch (30 by 20 cm) shallow oval oven-safe gratin dish
• •Heavy 12-inch (30 cm) skillet
• •Heavy rimmed baking sheet
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Sharp slicing knife and broad serving spatula

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare oven and lamb

   Heat the oven to 425°F (220°C), or 400°F (200°C) with a fan, with a heavy rimmed baking sheet on the lower-middle rack. Confirm that the butcher has removed the chine bone and firm cartilage, leaving a neat fat cap and rib bones about 3 inches (7.5 cm) long. Dry the lamb thoroughly, then season every meaty surface with the salt and pepper. Leave it uncovered while the oven heats; a dry surface lets the butter take hold.

2. 2

   Raidir in butter

   Raidir the lamb, meaning set and lightly color its surface in butter without cooking the center. Melt 3 tablespoons (45 ml / 43 g) of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When the foam subsides, set in the rack fat-side down and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, then color the two meaty ends and the bone side for about 1 minute each. The lamb should be lightly golden and firm outside, still raw within. If the butter begins to blacken, lift out the lamb, wipe the pan, lower the heat, and resume with a little of the reserved butter. The color already gained is not lost.

3. 3

   Set the potato base

   Use the remaining butter to coat a shallow 12 by 8-inch (30 by 20 cm) oval gratin dish. Bring the Pommes de Terre Anna (No. 2203) to the dish at the pre-oven stage directed in its own entry. Use one half to form a compact base about ½ inch (1.25 cm) thick, bringing it slightly up the sides and pressing firmly so there are no open seams. Set the dish on the hot baking sheet for 8 to 10 minutes, until the base grips the dish and moves as one sheet when nudged gently at the edge. If a patch still slides, press it closed and bake for 3 minutes more. Ça se rattrape. Do not add the lamb until the base holds.

   The preheated sheet supplies the concentrated bottom heat once provided by a dedicated heavy mould. Use an oven-safe gratin dish with a flat base, not thin decorative pottery.
4. 4

   Enclose the rack

   Set the lamb bone-side down and fat-cap up on the firm potato base, leaving the cleaned rib handles exposed. Cover the loin with the remaining Pommes de Terre Anna (No. 2203), bringing the upper layer down to meet the base and pressing the seam closed around both sides. Keep the enclosure even rather than excessively thick. If the covering tears, borrow a little potato from a thicker patch and press it over the opening before baking. Scatter the Parmesan evenly over the entire upper layer.

5. 5

   Bake to a crust

   Return the dish to the hot baking sheet and bake for 25 to 32 minutes, following the strong oven heat called for by the Pommes de Terre Anna (No. 2203). The Parmesan should be deep gold, the potato cap crisp at its ridges, and a thin knife should pass through the potatoes without resistance. Begin checking the lamb after 22 minutes by inserting an instant-read thermometer horizontally through the meaty end, never down through the sealed crust. Remove the dish at 125 to 130°F (52 to 54°C) for rosy lamb after resting, or at 138 to 140°F (59 to 60°C) for a finished temperature near 145°F (63°C). If the crust darkens before the lamb is ready, cover only the potato cap loosely with foil. If the lamb is ready but the top remains pale, use the broiler for 60 to 90 seconds, watching without distraction.

   Temperature beats the clock because racks vary in thickness. Insert the thermometer from the end so the potato enclosure remains intact and holds the juices where they belong.
6. 6

   Rest and serve

   Rest the rack uncovered in its gratin dish for 12 to 15 minutes. Do not tent it, or the crisp potato surface softens. Carry the dish to the table exactly as it stands, then cut between the rib bones with a sharp slicing knife, using a broad spatula to lift each chop with its share of the upper and lower potato crust. Spoon out every bronzed piece left at the edges. Never apologize at your own table. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Ask the butcher for one broad, evenly fleshed eight-rib rack with the chine bone removed. The classical trimming is butcher's work, not a test of courage with a home knife, and an evenly thick eye cooks far more predictably.
• •Grate Parmesan from a firm wedge just before using it. Pre-grated cheese dries out and forms a dusty lid; fresh cheese melts into the potato surface and browns as one crust.
• •A shallow, snug dish matters. Too large and the potato layers spread thin and leak around the lamb; too deep and the bottom struggles to color before the meat is done.
• •Pour a red Bordeaux with freshness or a northern Rhône Syrah. The lamb wants structure, while the butter and Parmesan want enough acidity to clear the palate.
• •Refrigerate leftovers within two hours and keep them for up to two days. Reheat uncovered at 375°F (190°C) until hot and crisp at the edges; a microwave softens the potato shell.

Advance Preparation

• •The time fields begin with the Pommes de Terre Anna (No. 2203) ready for its oven stage. Prepare that referenced component according to its own entry before beginning this recipe.
• •The butcher can trim the rack up to two days ahead. Keep it covered and refrigerated, then season it uncovered 4 to 8 hours before cooking to dry the surface.
• •For a dinner party, measure the butter and Parmesan and ready the gratin dish earlier in the day. Sear, assemble, and bake within the final hour so the potato enclosure remains crisp.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 340g)