Roast Lamb with Rosemary and Garlic

This was the highlight of our Christmas dinner - I ordered enough lamb for 4 people and by the end of the meal we were all wishing I had purchased more.

Since I have no idea how to butterfly and tie a crown roast, I left it to an expert: a small, family-run butcher shop in Granbury.

MM: I used a probe themometor that you can pre-set to your desired internal temperature and just leave on while the roast bakes - it worked like a charm! No figuring out the mintues per pound, or pulling it out to test every few minutes. Just set the themometor and walk away!

Roast:

-2 racks of lamb, butterflied and tied into a crown shape.
-6 cloves garlic, minced (or just run it through a garlic press)
-1 to 2 tbsp olive oil
-3 tbsp rosemary leaves, chopped
-3 tsp thyme, chopped (you can used dried but honestly it's just not as good as fresh)
-1 tsp salt
-1 tsp pepper

In a small bowl, mix all of the ingredients together. Rub generously all over the lamb.

Put your roast into a bundt pan (if you have one), or some sort of round baking vessel so it will hold it's shape. I used an uncovered dutch oven. Bake at 375 until the internal temperature is 130 degrees (or 8-12 minutes per pound). Remove from the oven, put the roast into a separate pan, cover with foil, and let it rest for at least 20 minutes.

Sauce:

-Pan drippings from lamb
-2 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
-1 tsp Dijon mustard

Spoon the drippings into a gravy separator to remove the fat. Whisk in the vinegar and mustard, then strain out any remaining solids. Serve warm with the crown roast.

If you don't have enough sauce, feel free to add more vinegar and mustard, and maybe even some olive oil to the mix.