Ingredients:

  Amount  Measure       Ingredient -- Preparation Method
--------  ------------  --------------------------------
   1      rack          baby lamb -- about 1 pound
                        freshly ground pepper
   1      small         spirg rosemary -- plus
     1/2  teaspoon      chopped rosemary.
   1      tablespoon    extra-virgin olive oil -- (1 to 2)
   1      cup           mirepoix -- equal parts
                        -- coarsely
                        chopped onions
                        chopped carrots -- and
                        chopped celery
     1/2  teaspoon      whole black peppercorns
     1/2                bay leaf
                        salt
   4                    cooked fresh artichoke bottoms
   1                    lemon -- cut in half
   4      tablespoons   unsalted butter
   1      sprig         fresh thyme -- leaves only
  12      cloves        garlic -- peeled and blanched

Preparation:

Trim all but a thin layer of fat from the lamb. Cut off the last 2 inches of the rib bones. Reserve all the trimmings. Rub the rack with pepper and the rosemary sprig, then rub it with olive oil. Cover the rack with plastic wrap and let it stand in the refrigerator overnight. Make lamb stock: brown the cut lamb bones and trimmings in a little olive oil. Add the mirepoix and brown for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the peppercorns and bay leaf. Add water to cover, bring it to a boil and simmer slowly until the stock is reduced to 1/2 cup. Strain and reserve. Preheat the oven to 450ø F. Place the lamb in a shallow roasting pan and season it with salt. Roast the rack for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the lamb is medium rare. Transfer the lamb to a carving board and let it rest in a warm spot for 10 minutes. Slice the artichoke bottoms into thin slices and toss them with lemon juice. In a saut‚‚ pan, saut‚‚ the artichoke slices slowly in 2 tablespoons of the butter, the thyme leaves, salt, pepper and 2 of the garlic cloves, cut into thin slices, until the artichokes are tender. Add more butter if necessary as they cook. Reserve. While the lamb is resting, discard any grease from the roasting pan. Deglaze the pan with the lamb stock. Add the chopped rosemary. When the sauce has reduced slightly, whisk in 1 tablespoon of the butter. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper and strain it. Keep the sauce warm. Heat a saut‚‚ pan, add the remaining butter and in it saut‚‚ the remaining garlic cloves until light golden brown.