Rack of Lamb in the Oven
Beautiful, with an original presentation - perfect for a festive table! Rack of lamb takes time, but it’s worth it. It’s best to tackle it once you have some experience roasting meat in the oven, with foil and without. If you try, you’ll get a perfect centerpiece dish for any table!
Updated : 21 January, 2026
Easy
More than 1 hour.
Ingredients
400 grams
Lamb
3
Oranges
2 tablespoon
Honey
2 tablespoon
Soy sauce
2 tablespoon
Cognac
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to make rack of lamb in the oven? Wash the oranges well and pour boiling water over them, then pat dry with napkins. The meat, of course - the fresher, the better. Unfortunately, you can’t replace lamb with something else here; it has to be lamb.
Step 2
Wash the oranges, scald with boiling water, and pat dry. From one orange, cut perfect, neat strips of zest (they’re used to decorate the finished dish). Wrap these strips in plastic and refrigerate so they don’t dry out. Grate all the remaining zest from two oranges on a not-too-fine grater. The third orange should stay whole.
Step 3
Squeeze the juice from both oranges that had the zest removed.
Step 4
Mix a marinade from orange juice, brandy, soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of honey (meaning most of the honey is not used yet).
Step 5
The rack is a tricky cut - it’s triangular. To fully cover it with marinade, I use a flat-bottomed container. I tuck the orange peels under one side so the bottom sits at an angle. This way the rack is almost completely covered with liquid, except for the bone part. Every 30 minutes for 2 hours of roasting, the piece needs to be turned over.
Step 6
About 10 minutes before the marinating time is up, start preheating the oven to 180°C / 356°F (for a gas oven - between medium and maximum, closer to medium). When the oven is hot, remove the rack from the marinade and place it on a baking tray on the middle rack, bones down and the meaty side up. Roasting time can be from 18 minutes (as in my case) to 25 minutes (for those who prefer it more well-done). Adjust to your oven.
Step 7
Strain the lemon zest out of the marinade, then mix in the remaining honey.
Step 8
Pour the liquid into a frying pan and start evaporating it over high heat (about 10 minutes). Don’t reduce it to a thick consistency - once it cools even a bit, it will stick to the pan badly because it contains honey. So, about 10 minutes after the sauce comes to a boil, turn off the heat and let it cool gradually. If, by serving time, the sauce seems too thin, it’s better to bring it to a boil once more.
Step 9
While the sauce is reducing, slice the reserved zest for decoration into thin strips (it has been in a bag in the fridge).
Step 10
If you’ll be serving on orange slices, cut the remaining orange into thick rounds.
Step 11
When the roasting time is up, take the meat out of the oven, place it on foil, and lightly brush it with the sauce.
Step 12
Shape the foil into an envelope and let the meat “rest” for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the serving plate - arrange orange rounds (if using) and drizzle with sauce. If you warm the plate beforehand, you won’t be able to pour the sauce in a thin stream - it will spread. Final touch: cut the meat piece into 2 halves, cross the ribs, and set them on the plate. The rack is ready; you can sprinkle it with orange zest.
Author note
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