Main Course

crown roast of lamb with shallots, mustard and mint
based on the recipe from Epicurious.com
Makes 6 servings

We went to our favorite butcher for the crown roast, and they failed us. They wouldn't make a crown smaller than 3 racks and they wants $100 for it. That seemed ridiculous, so we went to Whole Foods where they happily made a double crown rack for around $35 (the cost per lb). We ended up cooking the roast for about half the estimated time, and it was perfect. ABSOLUTELY use a meat thermometer. The early finish meant that we ran behind in cooking the veggies, but it all tasted good. Also you should invest a good knife and ask the butcher how to carve the lamb. We had no idea...

ingredients
For lamb:

• 3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1 crown of lamb made from two 8-rib racks (about 4 1/2 pounds total)
• 2 large shallots, chopped
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1/4 cup chicken stock or canned unsalted broth
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

For Spring Vegetables with Mint:

• 1 1/2 pounds new potatoes, halved
• 1 baby carrot bunch, stems trimmed to 1 inch, peeled
• 1 10-ounce basket pearl onions, peeled
• 1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed, cut crosswise into thirds
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

preparation

• Preheat oven to 450°F. Mix 2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon mustard and 1 1/2 teaspoons rosemary in bowl. Season generously with salt and pepper. Place lamb in roasting pan. Rub all over with butter mixture. Roast 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. and continue roasting until thermometer inserted into lamb registers 140°F. for medium-rare, about 40 minutes. Transfer lamb to platter; let stand 15 minutes.
• Pour off fat from roasting pan and set pan aside. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over low heat. Add shallots and 1/2 teaspoon rosemary; sauté until shallots are tender, about 5 minutes. Add wine to roasting pan and bring to boil over high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Add wine to skillet. Add stock; boil until slightly thickened, about 6 minutes. Mix in 1/2 teaspoon mustard and mint. Season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon vegetables in center of and around roast. Serve, cutting lamb into chops and spooning sauce over.
• To make spring vegetables place potatoes in vegetable steamer and steam 10 minutes. Add carrots and onions and steam until vegetables are almost tender, about 10 minutes longer. Add asparagus and steam until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes more.
• Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add mint and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper and stir until vegetables are coated with butter.