Christmas is the feast commemorating the birth of Christ. It is fixed in the liturgical year as December 25th and is preceded by four week of fasting called Advent.Rack of Lamb
- 2 rack of lamb (approximately 1½ lbs. per rack)
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 tbsp. Dijon mustard
- ½ cup butter
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 cup plain bread crumbs
- 2 tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley
Season the rack of lamb with salt and pepper. Heat a heavy frying pan and brown the fat on top of the lamb over high heat. This will take 1 to 2 minutes and no oil is needed. Remove the meat from the pan and allow cooling. Rub the meat (not the bones) of each rack with 1½ tbsp. of the mustard. Set aside.
In another frying pan, heat the butter. Sauté the garlic a few seconds. Remove from heat and stir in the bread crumbs and parsley. Coat the meat with the bread crumb mixture by rolling the racks of lamb directly in the frying pan of bread crumbs. There should be a coating of bread crumbs on the meat only, not the bones. Place the racks on a shallow roasting pan. Roast in a preheated 450ºF oven for 15 minutes for rare. (Add 10 minutes if you like it medium rare but be careful not to overcook.) Remove the pan from the oven and allow meat to stand in a warm place (but not on top of the stove.) for 5 minutes. Slice into individual bone sections and serve at once.
