I roasted two racks of lamb for Christmas dinner and had selected a modest sauce recipe from somewhere on the web. The lamb was perfect, but the sauce was not worth serving. I provide the recipe below. I used a large Calphalon skillet for the lamb searing (lamb lightly seasoned with salt and pepper first), so wine reaction with cookware should not have been a problem, but the wine reduction never rounded out, remaining thin-tasting and acidic. I used a good Cabernet. After reducing with my own chicken stock, for which I vouch, it was somewhat better but still uninteresting at best. I then added some current jelly and a touch of Dijon mustard, but to no avail.
The only variations I made were these: After pouring off fat, I added a couple of teaspoons of olive oil for taste, since I had used canola for searing. I added a little red onion to the 1.5 shallots I had. I had no fresh rosemary, so I used dried, but only a scant 1/2 teaspoon; the recipe fresh amount looked excessive to me. I never added salt and pepper at the end, because they wouldn't have helped.
The lamb browning did not leave many bits in the pan, as, say, stew pieces would; that element would have added richness.
Since the ingredients were good as far as I could tell, and the stock certainly richer than a canned one, there's some principle involved in the chemistry here that I don't sufficiently comprehend. Ideas appreciated. Guesses: the fat got too hot in the searing; the wine was unsuitable for some reason; the pepper; wine not reduced enough.
Recipe for the Sauce:
2 medium shallots, minced
1 cup dry red wine
2 1/2 teaspoons fresh rosemary , minced
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth (canned)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
Table salt
Ground black pepper
Pour off all but 1 1/2 tablespoons fat from the skillet used to brown the lamb; place the skillet over medium heat. Sauté the shallots until softened, about 1 minute. Add the red wine and rosemary; increase the heat to medium-high and simmer until dark and syrupy, about 7 minutes. Add the chicken broth; simmer until reduced to about 3/4 cup, about 5 minutes longer. Off the heat, swirl in the butter; season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with lamb.