Rosemary Rack of Lamb with Balsamic-Raisin Reduction

Good news - I got a new camera, so pictures are back!

I've never REALLY cooked meat before, but for some reason, this recipe caught my eye and I decided to challenge myself a little bit. I went out and purchased a rack of lamb, which I was very surprised to find at Trader Joe's. Seeing as red wine and balsamic vinegar are two of my favorite foods, I didn't see how this recipe could go wrong. I doubled the recipe to ensure we had plenty of leftovers to make it through the week.

I have a serious issue with the texture of raw meat and usually prefer not to touch it. Luckily this meat has bones attached, so I just touched the bones and I was ok. I also don't usually like food with bones, but rack of lamb is usually pretty easy to cut off the bone. I chopped some fresh rosemary, seasoned the meat, and popped it in the oven... pretty simple.

While the meat was in the oven I started on the reduction. This was also easier than I thought it would be... but it was kinda messy. When the wine and vinegar began to boil it started shooting little drops of red all over my white stove. After I added the brown sugar, the concoction got sticky and I had sticky, red dots all over my stove. After 15 minutes I smelled the reduction - it was SO strong I got nervous it wouldn't taste good.

When the reduction was finished, I was sure to clean the stove immediately - It came clean. I checked on the meat after 30 minutes, but it was still 'bleeding' and way too red, so I stuck it back in for another 10 minutes. (I really need a food thermometer!) After 40 minutes the meat smelled really good, but I thought it looked pretty boring and colorless.

I cut the meat into 8 pieces and paired it with some roasted potatoes and carrots and steamed green beans. The meat and the reduction came out GREAT together! The vinegar was tangy, but the raisins provided a sweet little punch to the meat. The reduction totally made the meat look and taste better. The left over reduction that dripped off of the meat also went well with the potatoes and veggies - It was such a yummy dinner.

I was surprised at how easy it was to cook meat - It was actually kind of boring. I have to admit, I am no longer terrified to make meat and I think my boyfriend will be very happy about that!

Recipe to follow:

Ingredients:

1 cup dry red wine

3/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup raisins

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 tablespoon butter

1 (1.5 pound) French-cut rack of lamb (8 ribs), trimmed

2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

cooking spray

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 425*

2. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small saucepan; bring to boil. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup (about 15 minutes). Remove from heat; cool slightly. Add butter, stirring well with a whisk; keep warm.

3. Sprinkle lamb with rosemary, salt, and pepper. Place lamb, meat side up, on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 425* for 30 minutes or until a thermometer registers at 145* (medium rare) to 160* (medium). Let stand 5 minutes. Cut rack into 8 pieces. Serve with reduction. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 2 chops and 2 tablespoons reduction).

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 313 ; Fat: 15.1g ; Protein: 24.5g ; Carbohydrate: 17.5g ; Fiber: 0.4g ; Cholesterol: 88mg ; Iron: 2.2mg ; Sodium: 412mg ; Calcium: 34mg

Recipe courtesy of: Jeanne Kelley, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2007

Broccoli Potato Gratin

After my banana bread didn't turn out great, I decided to pick another recipe from Cooking Light for dinner. My boyfriend, your typical meat and potatoes man, likes nothing more than meat and cheesy potatoes for dinner. I bought some pre-made brisket from Trader Joe's (shhh, it's our secret!) and found this recipe for Broccoli Potato Gratin. My plan was to make one of his favorite meals the "healthy way" in hopes that he wouldn't know the difference.

Broccoli Potato Gratin

6 cups chopped broccoli florets

3/4 cup minced shallots

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 lbs peeled Yukon gold potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

Cooking spray

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cups 2% reduced-fat milk

1 1/4 cups fat- free, less-sodium chicken broth

2 tablespoons chilles butter, cut into small pieces

3/4 cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Methods:

1. Preheat oven to 375*

2. Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper, toss to combine

3. Layer one-third of potato slices in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray, overlapping to fit ; top with half of broccoli mixture. Repeat layers, ending with potato. Sprinkle evenly with 1/4 teaspoon salt.

4. Place flour in a medium bowl. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly with a whisk; stir in broth. Pour milk mixture over potato mixture. Top evenly with butter. Cover and bake at 375* for 1 hour. Uncover, sprinkle evenly with cheese. BAke 25 minutes or until browned. Cool on wire rack 10 minuted. Yield: 12 servings. Serving size: 2/3 cup.

Nutrition Info:

Calories: 225, Fat: 7.4g, Protein: 10.1g, CHO: 30.1g, Fiber: 3.3g, Cholesterol: 23mg, Iron: 1.9mg, Sodium: 432mg

This dish doesn't photograph as well as the bread, but doesn't it look yummy? I made a few substitutions to the recipe listed above. I used nonfat milk instead of 2% and less-sodium vegetable broth instead of chicken broth simply because it's what I had in the house. I didn't see a reason to purchase new milk and broth for one recipe.

By the time my boyfriend got home from work, the potatoes were out of the oven. This dish definitely doesn't look like something out of Cooking Light with all of the "cheesy goodness" on top. The potatoes came out great and were awesome with the brisket. I opened a nice 2000 Chateau St. Jean Cabernet Sauvignon to pair with the meal- YUM. Next time I will try to actually make the brisket from scratch rather than slipping it in the oven for a few minutes.

Boyfriend had no idea what he was eating was anything different than the high fat, cheesy potatoes and beef he's used to eating. This is definitely a recipe I will have to keep on hand for when he's in a true meat and potatoes mood!

Shabbat Shalom!