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Happy Valentines Day.  My wife and I decided to stay in tonight, and cook ourselves a really nice gourmet meal.  It’s a little complicated but I’m sure we will get through.  NOTE: We are doing 3 dishes here, so read through first so you can plan accordingly.  I’ll let you know tomorrow (Feb15th) how it went.

Rack of Lamb: 

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large shallots, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup pulverized fresh bread crumbs
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme leaves or 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crumbled
1 rack of lamb (7 or 8 ribs), frenched, at room temperature, trimmed of as much fat as possible
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a small skillet, heat oil over moderate heat until hot but not smoking and cook shallots with salt and pepper, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar and boil until liquid is evaporated. Remove skillet from heat and stir in bread crumbs and thyme. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Season lamb with salt and pepper. Heat vegetable oil in a saute pan and sear the lamb on all sides. Transfer, rib side down, to a small roasting pan. Spread the meat side with mustard and pat on crumb mixture, making an even coating. Roast lamb in middle of oven until a meat thermometer registers 120 degrees F for medium-rare, about 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully transfer lamb to a cutting board and let stand 5 to 10 minutes. Slice lamb into chops.Lemon-Butter Green beans:

1/3 pound fresh green beans, ends trimmed, blanched in boiling salted water 
1 table spoon unsalted butter

1 tablespoon minced shallots
1 tablespoon pine nuts
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Pinch salt Drain green beans well and pat dry. Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to keep from burning. Add the pine nuts and cook, stirring, for an additional minute. Add the green beans and toss to coat evenly. Cook just enough to warm through, about 1 minute. Add the lemon juice, salt, and pepper and toss to combine. Remove from the heat and serve immediately. Hasselback Potatos:

2 small baking potatoes, about 3/4-pound total 
2 tablespoons melted butter
1/3 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground white pepper
11/2 tablespoons finely grated hard cheese, such as Parmesan
1 tablespoon fine dry bread crumbs

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Peel potatoes. Cut each potato not quite through in a series of crosswise slices about 1/4-inch apart or closer so that they are still joined together at the bottom. Brush the potatoes with the melted butter and place in a small baking pan. Pour the chicken stock around the potatoes and sprinkle with the thyme leaves. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and roast until the potatoes are half cooked, 25 to 30 minutes, basting every 5 minutes with the butter-chicken stock mixture. In a small bowl combine the grated cheese and bread crumbs and divide the mixture evenly between the tops of the 2 potatoes. Continue roasting without any further basting until the potatoes are crispy on the outside and cooked through, about 30 minutes. *Note: Exact cooking time will depend on the size of the potatoes.We borrowed these recipe’s from The Food Network.Tell me how it went,Doug-