PREP: Mise the recipe ahead of time.

1. Bake the potatoes and roast the beets:

• Preheat an oven to 425°F.
• Scrub the potatoes and beets under cold water and blot dry. 
• Use a paring knife to pierce several holes in each potato to release steam.
• Place the potatoes on the oven rack and bake for about 1 hour until they yield to a squeeze and a knife penetrates into the centers with no resistance.  Keep the potatoes warm until ready to stuff them.
• Place the beets in a small baking dish, add about ¼ inch water, cover with foil, and bake about 45 minutes until a knife piercing the centers meets with just a little resistance.
• Uncover, cool to room temperature, pour off the liquid, and then scrape off the skins.

2. Make the twice-baked potatoes:

• Cool the potatoes just enough to handle them.
• Heat the half-and-half or cream until steaming hot.
• Cut off one end of each potato, leaving ⅔ of the potato to use as the shell.  Reserve the potato ends for another use, or eat them.
• Use a paring knife to define a rim around the cut end of each potato.  Scoop the warm potato flesh out of the potatoes and into a bowl, leaving thin layer of potato attached to the skin.
• Use an electric hand mixer to break up the warm potato flesh, and then add the hot half-and-half and butter along with some salt and pepper.  Whip the potatoes just until smooth; take care not to over-work lest they acquire a gluey texture.
• Fold in the Parmigiano and 2/3 of the cheddar cheese, reserving the rest of the cheddar to later top the potatoes.  Place the topping cheddar in a container.
• Evaluate the seasoning and correct the salt if necessary.
• Shave off the bottom end of the potato shells so that they’ll stand upright.
• Spoon the potato filling into the shells, pressing and tapping them gently on the work surface to firm and compact the filling.  Smooth the tops, and then press a slice of the remaining butter on top of each.
• If prepping ahead, place the potatoes in a container.

3. Start the sauce:

• Mince the shallot very fine.
• Place the step 3 wine in a small sauté pan over lowest possible heat.  Allow the wine to steam without simmering for about 15 minutes until reduced by half its original volume.  Watch carefully so that it doesn’t evaporate away and scorch the pan. 
• Place the step 3 butter in a small saucepan over medium heat and melt it.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, about 1 minute to make a light brown roux.
• Stir in the shallots and cook a few seconds longer.
• Whisk in the stock in a thin stream to avoid creating lumps.  Add the tarragon and thyme, and a little salt.
• Simmer briskly, uncovered, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes until the sauce lightly thickens.
• Stir in the reduced wine.
• If prepping ahead, cool the sauce to room temperature, place in a container, and refrigerate. 

4. Fabricate, portion, and marinate the lamb:

• Mix the marinade: Use a garlic press to press the garlic into a bowl.  Add the salt, mustard, step 4 wine, and olive oil.  Mix to combine.
• If necessary, scrape off any connective tissue still remaining on the rack’s “Frenched” bones.
• Place the rack on a cutting board with the meaty side up.  You may see a layer of connective tissue on the surface of the rack’s “eye” meat.  Slide the tip of a flexible paring knife under the connective tissue and remove it, slicing along the length of the meat and pressing upward with the knife.
• Score the fat layer between the “eye” meat and the bones: Cut a tight cross-hatch pattern into the fat about ⅛-inch deep. 
• Now place the rack on a cutting board with the meaty side down.  Slide the tip of the boning knife under the connective tissue between the rib bones and remove it.
• Cut the rack into 2 equal-size, 4-rib portions.
• Put the rack halves together, intertwining the rib bones, and place them, bones-up, in a small, heavy plastic bag.  Pour in the marinade and seal shut.
• Refrigerate at least 24 hours.  After 24 hours, remove the racks from the marinade and blot dry.  Reserve the marinade.

5. If necessary, make the Sherry Vinaigrette.

6. Assemble the remaining mise-en-place for the recipe.  (If you’re serving the Valentine’s Day Chilled Shrimp appetizer, combine the mises-en-place on the same tray.)

HOLD: Refrigerate all ingredients up to 5 days.

COOK! Finish and plate your dinner.

7. Preheat an oven to 425°F.

8. Fabricate the “heartbeets:”

• Slice the beets lengthwise a little wider than ⅛-inch thick. 
• Using a heart-shaped cutter, or freehand with a paring knife, cut out heart shapes.

9. Re-bake the potatoes:

• Place the potatoes in a baking dish.
• If the potatoes have been refrigerated, bake about 30 minutes until hot through.  (Room temperature potatoes will require less baking time.)
• Press the reserved cheddar cheese on top, dust the tops with paprika, and return to the oven for about 10 minutes until the cheese melts and begins to brown. 

10. Pan-roast the lamb racks:

• If necessary, remove the rack halves from the marinade and blot dry.  Reserve the marinade in a bowl.
• Place a sauté pan over medium heat until hot.  Add the pure olive oil, and then add the racks, meaty-side-down.  Sauté about 1 minute until golden brown.
• Turn over the racks and arrange them upright in the pan, with rib bones intertwined as before.  Sauté about 30 seconds longer.
• Transfer the racks from the sauté pan into a burner-proof roasting pan.  Baste with some of the reserved marinade, and add ¼ c water to the pan to prevent scorching.
• Place the racks in the oven and roast about 5 minutes, and then baste again with the marinade.
• Roast about 10 minutes longer to an internal doneness of 125°F for rare or 130°F for medium rare.
• Remove the racks from the oven, place on a small sheet tray or work plate, and rest them in a warm place for about 5 minutes.  Reserve the roasting pan.

11. Finish the sauce:

• Place the roasting pan over medium heat, and scrape to deglaze the pan.  Add a bit more water of needed.
• Pour the sauce and optional demi-glace into the roasting pan and reheat it.
• Evaluate the consistency: if too thick, add more water; if too thin, reduce over high heat.
• Evaluate the flavor and correct the salt if necessary. 

12. Dress the salad:

• Tear the radicchio and lettuce into a bowl and drizzle some of the vinaigrette on top. 
• Toss to combine, using just enough vinaigrette to lightly coat each leaf.

13. Carve the racks:

• Place a cutting board inside a sheet tray to catch juices.
• Position each rack so that the bone side is facing you.  Cut between the bones to make 4 chops per person.
• Pour any resulting juices into the sauce.

14. Plate:

• Mound a portion of salad on the back right of each slightly warmed plate.
• Place a twice-baked potato on the back left of each plate.
• Arrange the chops in an arc configuration across the front of each plate, propped against the potato and salad.
• Spoon some sauce into the plate well in front of the chops.
• Arrange the “heartbeets” on the salad and drizzle them with a little vinaigrette.