Serve Lemon-Oregano Racks of Lamb this holiday

This recipe is ideal for the holiday season and is one of the most delicious dishes you could ever taste. I generally use New Zealand or Australian lamb, mainly because the flavors are less powerful. The average palate is not attracted to an intense lamby taste.

New Zealand lamb is generally lean and makes a perfect, light meal. The technique of cooking the lamb in two stages helps to control the meat's temperature and provides a better end result.

LEMON-OREGANO RACKS OF LAMB

Serves four

2 racks of lamb (16 ribs altogether)

Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

1⁄2 cup Greek oregano

1⁄4 cup minced garlic

1 cup extra-virgin olive oil

8 ounces butter, divided use

For dressing:

1⁄2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1⁄2 cup Meyer lemon juice

1⁄4 cup Greek oregano

Kosher salt and ground pepper, to taste

Preparation

Wash the lamb lightly and dry it with a cloth or paper towels.

Make a paste by combining the salt, pepper, oregano, garlic and olive oil. Rub both racks thoroughly with the paste mixture.

Melt 3 ounces of butter in a large frying pan and sear both sides of each rack for eight minutes over a medium to high heat. Once the racks are browned and crusty, remove them from the pan and let them rest for 20 to 30 minutes.

Using a sharp knife, hold the rack with the bones upward and cut between each rib. If you do it right, you will not encounter any bone, and you will get eight ribs from each rack. Sometimes the eighth rib is too small to cut. If this is the case, keep the seventh and eighth ribs together. At this stage, the meat's temperature should be rare.

Right before serving, sear each rib using the same process as before: Melt butter in a large frying pan and brown each rib on both sides. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Prepare the dressing by mixing all the dressing ingredients together. Sprinkle the racks with the dressing before serving.

The best accompaniments are mashed potatoes, roasted potatoes, rice pilaf or freshly cooked garlic-lemon spinach.

Salim Ben Mami is head chef and owner of Café Collage restaurant in Oregon House, Calif. Contact him at 530-692-2555 or ccollage@succeed.net. His website is cafecollage.net.