Foodies Anonymous

I had the extended family over for Easter today, and what better way to celebrate than with some delicious lamb? This is my favorite preparation for lamb. Its pretty simple, and I can guarantee you that after you try this, most other recipes will pale in comparison. I’ve been making this for a few years now, and don’t bother with a recipe. So the measurements are estimated. Once you get this down, it’s easy to play with the amounts or even the types of herbs (you can try chives or thyme, for example) to make it your own.

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

2 lamb racks, frenched (about 2 lb ea.)

1 cup Panko bread crumbs

2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

2 tbsp dijon mustard

Salt and pepper – to taste

Olive oil – as needed

Method.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Pat the lamb racks dry, and trim off any excess fat.

Normally markets sell the racks frenched, which means the last inch or two of the bones have been scraped clean of meat and fat. But often there’s still a fair amount of excess fat on the front of the rack, which is great for basting, but if there’s too much, you can’t really eat it. So I just try to leave a thin layer of fat for flavor.

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

3. In a bowl, combine the bread crumbs and the chopped herbs. Set aside.

Panko crumbs are my favorite type of crumbs to use for cooking. They’re light and crispy and give a great texture to dishes. If you don’t have access to an Asian market, you can often find bags in the Asian/Ethnic food aisle in larger supermarkets.

If you are unable or unwilling to use Panko, just get a few slices of fresh white bread (sourdough, french bread, or even english muffins also work well) and cut into large chunks. Put the bread in a food processor and pulse several times until you have course bread crumbs.

4. Place a heavy skillet on a medium-high burner and pour enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Working in batches, sear the lamb until well browned on each side, about 5-6 minutes total.

I prefer to use a stainless steel skillet for searing. Non-stick aren’t as good to use because 1) you’re not supposed to heat them beyond medium heat or you’ll damage the coating, and 2) you get better coloring using stainless steel. The meat may stick to the pan at first, but once cooked long enough, the meat will release.

The bonus of using stainless steel is that you will get those tasty brown bits stuck to the pan at the end, and you can use the same pan later for sauteeing some asparagus to go alongside the lamb.

5. Place the lamb racks on a sheet pan and smear the mustard on the meat and fat. You want to cover all the parts of the rack that you’re going to eat. Put enough mustard that will ensure the bread crumbs will stick, but not so much that the dijon overpowers everything.

6. Coat the racks with the bread crumb mixture, lightly pressing into the meat. Along with the lamb itself, this is the tastiest part of the dish, so I like to put a generous amount of crumbs on. Don’t forget to add some to the bottom of the lamb, because that’s where the thickest part of the meat is.

7. Roast for 15-20 minutes for medium rare. Yes, medium rare! This is the best way to serve lamb. Medium tastes good too (cook another 5 minutes or so), but anything more than that and the lamb is likely to dry out. Hey, you’re paying extra money for one of the best cuts of the lamb, so don’t wimp out and overcook the tender meat!

After removing from the oven, loosely tent the lamb with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes. The lamb will continue to cook for a few minutes after you take it out of the oven, and resting it will allow the juices to settle before you carve.

To carve, simply run your chef’s knife between the bones while standing the racks up. You may hit a piece of the backbone near the bottom – just add a little more pressure to cut through.

Garnish with small sprigs of mint and/or rosemary.