Cooking for Zo

Taste Level: VG
Cost: $20 and under
Serves: 2
Prep Time: 24 hours
Cook Time: 10-15 min.
Difficulty: 2

This is the first rack of lamb recipe I ever created. My dad and I have always loved lamb, unfortunately I find most of my friends and family refuse to eat it. This recipe was inspired by a meal I had at the Greek Festival about 4 years ago. I loved the zest flavor of lemon I had on a piece of lamb I ordered. For a few weeks I could not stop thinking about how the lemon just added a whole layer of yumminess to the lamb. I started tinkering here and there with lamb until I decided I would make a Greek/Creole inspired rack of lamb. While this is not my best rack of lamb recipe I still hold it dear because it was my first and it tastes darn good.

Ingredients:
Lamb
1 rack of lamb
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp fresh rosemary (diced)
1 1/2 tsp fresh parsley (chopped)
1 1/2 tsp fresh basil (chopped)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 slices of deli cut smoked bacon
1/4 tsp fresh crack pepper
1 tsp essence

Vegetables
1 medium zucchini (sliced)
2 cups broccoli (chopped)
2 green onions (chopped 2/3 cup)
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried sweet basil
1/2 tsp crack pepper (to taste)
kosher salt (to taste)

Place rack of lamb in a seal able container. Add oil, lemon juice, oregano, rosemary, garlic powder and crack pepper. Shake to mix well and leave in refrigerator to marinate for 24 hours (shake contents every few hours to make sure it remains mixed well.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Remove rack of lamb from container and place on a roasting rack bone side down. sprinkle parsley and basil over rack of lamb and then cover with strips of bacon. Sprinkle essence evenly over the bacon.

Cover a baking sheet with aluminium foil and mix together broccoli, onions, zucchini and seasonings. Pile into center of baking sheet and place roasting rack with lamb on it over them.

Place baking sheet with all items into oven and bake for 30 minutes. Remove baking sheet from oven and move roasting rack with lamb to the side. Turn oven to broil. Wrap aluminium foil around vegetables with all juices from lamb and bacon and bake for another 10 minutes. Place rack of lamb back onto baking sheet and broil 5 minutes or until bacon is crisp. Let cool for 5 minutes and then cup rack of lamb into pieces. Serve with hot vegetables right out of the oven.