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Recipe: Rack of Lamb with Ratatouille and Fire-Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

Lamb 3 each racks of lamb, French-cut by your butcher 1 cup Herb-Dijon Marinade (see recipe) ¼ cup canola oil
Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette 4 Roma tomatoes 1 cup extra virgin olive oil ¼ cup sherry vinegar 1 teaspoon salt	Ratatouille 2 cups green zucchini, diced large 2 cups yellow squash, diced large 1 cup onion, diced large 2 cups eggplant, diced large Extra virgin olive oil Salt and pepper 12 leaves of basil, torn into bite size pieces

Marinate the Lamb

Cut each lamb rack in half so you have 6 racks in total. Coat each rack in the Herb Dijon Marinade let soak for at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Make the Roasted Tomato Vinaigrette

Roast the tomatoes on your grill's highest setting. Be sure to rotate frequently to char the whole tomato black. Place roasted tomatoes into a food processor with the olive oil, sherry vinegar and salt. Blend until smooth. Reserve warm.

Cook the Lamb

Preheat the oven to 300°F. Heat canola oil in a large sauté pan on high heat. Remove the lamb racks from the marinade and season with salt and pepper. Sear each lamb rack until golden brown, then place onto a tray and into the oven to cook for 5-10 minutes, or until an internal temperature of 120°F is reached. Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F.

Make the Ratatouille

In a large mixing bowl combine the zucchini, squash, onion, eggplant, olive oil to coat,salt and pepper. Transfer to a cookie tray and place in the oven for 10 minutes, until vegetables have cooked through and turned lightly golden in color. Remove vegetables from the oven and place in a mixing bowl with the fresh basil and a ¼ cup of the roasted tomato vinaigrette. Toss well.

To serve, spoon a single serving of ratatouille onto each plate. Slice each lamb rack into 3-4 slices; place on plate. Finish with a little bit more of the roasted tomato vinaigrette.