Lamb Pan Sauce Recipe (With Step-by-Step)

Prep Time:

15 mins

Total Time:

15 mins

Servings:

10

Yield:

1 1/2 cups

This easy lamb sauce recipe is the perfect finishing touch for your holiday lamb roast. It makes the most of what the French call fond, a charming name for the browned bits of food in a roasting pan or skillet. The pan is deglazed with red wine to incorporate those flavor-packed bits of fond, then you add chicken stock, bring it to a simmer, and cook gently to reduce the liquid. Strain and serve with that delicious lamb for a special main dish.

Did we mention that this classic technique means nothing goes to waste (those pan drippings!)? And no new pan is needed—we're all for less to clean up.

What Is Deglazing?

This lamb sauce is what's known as a pan sauce. It gets its flavor fast from the pan drippings in the roasting pan using a technique called deglazing. A liquid—red wine in this recipe—is added to the pan to deglaze it. As it is stirred and heated, the drippings are incorporated. Many pan sauces stop there, but we add chicken stock for additional richness and volume and cook the sauce until it has thickened and reduced slightly. It's strained before serving to prevent any bits making the sauce texture less than smooth.

For the best tasting pan sauce, use homemade chicken stock, which will have more gelatin—and, therefore, body—than a store-bought stock. If you're buying stock for this sauce, choose a good quality, low-sodium option to keep the finished sauce from becoming too salty.

How to Fix a Broken Pan Sauce

A pan sauce is an emulsion of fat and liquid, in this case wine and chicken stock. An emulsified sauce should look shiny and glossy, not greasy or oily. If your sauce breaks—which can happen due to factors like rapid temperature changes or fat being added too quickly—rest easy in knowing there's a quick, reliable fix. All you'll need to do is add a splash of water while vigorously stirring the sauce over low heat. The combination of rapid stirring and added moisture will bring the fat and liquid back in harmony, leaving you with a smooth, picture-perfect pan sauce.

Directions

Cooked lamb roast on a baking rack alongside small containers of salt sauce and broth — Jacob Fox

Deglaze roasting pan with red wine:

Pour red wine into the roasting pan in which the lamb was cooked. Place over medium heat, and scrape up browned bits from bottom of pan.

Jacob Fox
Add stock, simmer and reduce:

Add stock and salt; bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until liquid has reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 10 minutes. Skim fat from surface, as needed.

Jacob Fox
Strain and serve:

Strain sauce into a gravy boat, and serve hot with sliced lamb.

Jacob Fox

How to Store and Reheat This Pan Sauce

Leftover sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat it gently over medium-low heat, whisking in an additional splash of stock or water as needed to reach desired consistency.

Lamb Pan Sauce Variations

Add aromatics: For even more flavor, try sautéing some finely minced garlic, shallot, or onion in the drippings. Since you'll be straining them out later, there's no need to cook them until they're completely tender; just sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds, being careful they don't burn.

Finish with butter: For an extra rich and glossy sauce, add a tablespoon or two of unsalted butter at the very end. To ensure it emulsifies properly, whisk constantly while the butter melts and incorporates into the sauce.