Rack of Lamb with Red Bell Pepper Butter Sauce (Oven, Air Fryer or BBQ)
Rack of lamb with red bell pepper butter sauce is one of the tastiest ways I know to prepare lamb. The sauce is so delicious, I adapted it for a pasta sauce recipe! Give it a try.
Originally published July 10th, 2013.
There’s no long-winded story behind this rack of lamb recipe.
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I had a recipe-a-month calendar when I first moved to California and one of the recipes was for rack of lamb with red bell pepper butter sauce. It looked delicious, so I made it.
On a scale from 1 to 10, I would have given it an 11: it was so tasty and I fell in love with the red bell pepper butter sauce! I even made a pasta sauce recipe based on the sauce.
So I cut out the recipe, put it in my recipe binder, and have been making it ever since. It’s still one of my favorites, mostly because I could eat the sauce like a soup! It’s so delicious, but unless you taste it, I can’t even describe how incredible the flavor is, especially paired with lamb. I’ve also adapted it into a mouthwatering pasta dish: bucatini with red pepper cream sauce and peas. It goes perfectly with any type of potato dish, too, but I love serving it with gratin Dauphinois.
How to Plate Rack of Lamb with Red Bell Pepper Butter Sauce
I’ve recently discovered these culinary drawing spoons and they are so much fun! Just draw some swirls on each plate before plating the meat.
For a fancy dinner or special occasion, like an Easter meal, you can serve the lamb chops upright and tie the tips of the bones together with some fresh rosemary, as I have done here. It’s super easy, but so impressive!
For that Easter meal, make this light and delicious Easter cake for dessert.
Here’s the pasta recipe I referred to: Bucatini with Red Pepper Cream Sauce and Peas
I adapted this from Chef Serantoni’s recipe from the now closed Chanteclair Restaurant in Irvine, California. He suggested serving it with Potatoes au Gratin and a fresh vegetable of your choice, such as green beans, carrots, zucchini or fennel. If you enjoy this half as much as I do, you’ll be over the moon!
(Remember to marinate the lamb a day before you want to serve this dish.)
Rack of Lamb with Red Bell Pepper Butter Sauce
adapted from Chef Serantoni’s recipe serves 4
FULL PRINTABLE RECIPE BELOW
A day before serving this rack of lamb~
Salt and marinate the lamb by soaking the rack of lamb in a large bowl of water for half an hour. Drain, then sprinkle with a light coating of Kosher salt. Let drain on rack for about 45 minutes then rinse off the salt.
Marinate lamb with 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil and white wine, 3 cloves of minced garlic and fresh rosemary sprigs; turn after 12 hours.
The following day~
Preheat the barbecue, oven or air fryer.
Meanwhile, prepare the red bell pepper sauce by putting the extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat, then add the garlic and diced red pepper.
Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
Next, add the heavy cream and reduce while cooking over low heat. When it begins to have a light, creamy consistency, add the butter and salt and pepper to taste.
Remove from heat and blend to a very smooth sauce with an immersion blender (put in a jar) or a blender or food processor. (I have a VitaMix and did not need to strain the sauce, but if you have little pieces of red pepper in the sauce, strain it through a fine mesh strainer.)
Cook the lamb on the grill to your liking.
Or you can roast it in the oven or air fryer. I cooked mine in my air fryer at 350 degrees F (175 C) for about 15 minutes.
Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat. Lamb should be 145 degrees F/63 C (at minimum).
Let the lamb rest for about 10 minutes covered with a piece of aluminum foil, then slice the rack of lamb.
Serve with the red bell pepper butter sauce and your choice of sides.
Gratin Dauphinois is fabulous with the lamb and sauce.
You can serve the lamb as you prefer, but I tied 3 chops together with a sprig of rosemary which is so easy to do, but adds so much to the presentation.
However, the lamb is just as delicious if it’s not perfectly tied with rosemary. Just a tiny sprig makes all the difference.
Bon appetit!
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Rack of Lamb with Red Bell Pepper Butter Sauce
Ingredients
For the Lamb:
- 1 rack lamb (about 2 lbs)
- 1 tsp Kosher salt (to lightly coat the rack)
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ⅓ cup white wine
- 3 cloves garlic (chopped, optional)
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
For the Red Bell Pepper Butter Sauce:
- 1 ½ Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic (minced)
- 1 large red pepper (diced)
- 1 cup chicken stock
- ¾ cup heavy cream
- ¼ stick butter
- ⅛ tsp salt (to taste)
- ⅛ tsp white pepper (to taste)
Instructions
A day before serving this rack of lamb:
- Salt and marinate the lamb by soaking the rack of lamb in a large bowl of water for half an hour. Drain, then sprinkle with a light coating of Kosher salt. Let drain on rack for about 45 minutes then rinse off the salt
- Marinate lamb with the extra virgin olive oil and white wine, cloves of minced garlic, and fresh rosemary sprigs; turn after 12 hours
The following day:
- Preheat the barbecue, oven or air fryer.
- Meanwhile, prepare the red bell pepper sauce by putting the extra virgin olive oil in a frying pan over medium high heat, then add the garlic and diced red pepper.
- Sauté for about 5 minutes, then add the chicken stock and continue to cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
- Next, add the heavy cream and reduce while cooking over low heat. When it begins to have a light, creamy consistency, add the butter and salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove from heat and blend to a very smooth sauce with an immersion blender (put in a jar) or a blender or food processor. (I have a VitaMix and did not need to strain the sauce, but if you have little pieces of red pepper in the sauce, strain it through a fine mesh strainer.)
Cook the lamb on the grill to your liking:
- Or you can roast it in the oven or air fryer. I cooked mine at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes.
- Let the lamb rest for about 10 minutes covered with a piece of aluminum foil, then slice the rack of lamb.
- Serve with the red bell pepper butter sauce and your choice of sides.
- You can serve the lamb as you prefer, but I tied 3 together with a sprig of rosemary which is so easy to do, but adds so much to the presentation.
Notes
- Always use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the meat. Lamb should be 145 degrees F (at minimum).
Nutrition
More lamb recipes~
Classic Leg of Lamb with Fresh Mint Sauce
Lamb Skewers with Lima Bean Puree
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I love the rack of lamb. I don’t eat it very often, it is a treat when I do.
thanks for this perfectly timed recipe. I was planning rack of lamb for the two of us anyway. now I can try it with this sauce which looks to be right up our alley!
Oh, I’m so glad you’re going to try it, I absolutely LOVE this sauce! Let me know what you think, Berni!