I am so excited about this. I love LAMB CHOPS. Definitely a go-to order for me when I’m out to a nice dinner – and yet, not something I often make at home. Dare I say lamb chops can be intimidating? So when my Father-in-Law showed up with four gorgeously Frenched (ie. trimmed) racks, it was time to put my anxiety aside. Do I slice and grill them individually? Do I roast the entire racks? Do I serve single or double chops? The point is – there are A LOT of ways of doing this – and you just gotta make a decision. So for the sake of brevity, and cooking a LOT of chops with ease, here is a simple recipe to perfectly roast your racks of lamb.
SHOPPING LIST: 2-4 racks of lamb (preferably Frenched), olive oil, garlic, dijon mustard, lime, salt, pepper (SAUCE: sour cream, lime, chopped garlic, scallions, parsley, onion powder)
The first step is going to make our simple garlic marinade. In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup of olive oil with 3 tB. chopped garlic (or 10 cloves of whole garlic), the juice and zest of one lime, 2 tB. of dijon mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse the mixture in your food processor until it’s well mixed and all of the garlic is pureed. The mixture will look very similar to a salad dressing (and could be used as such). Also, feel free to have some liberty here – add dried rosemary if you want a more herbaceous marinade, or sub the lime juice for red wine vinegar.
Remove your lamb chops from the packaging and make sure they are patted dry. GENEROUSLY sprinkle salt and pepper onto both sides of your lamb chops, giving them a nice rub to ensure that the seasoning sticks. Next, lay a rack over your baking sheet and display your racks of lamb fat-side up (so the arch of the rib bone is facing DOWN). Smother the tops of each rack in your garlic marinade and allow the marinade to sit for a minimum 1 hour.
When you’re ready, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Roast the racks for 14 minutes. Remove from the oven, use tongs on the actual rib bones to flip the racks and finish roasting for 8 more minutes. Remove the lamb from the oven, flip them back over onto a wooden cutting board so the fleshier side is facing upward and cover with tin foil. Allow the chops to rest for a MINIMUM of 15 minutes.
In the meantime, if you want to make an easy accompaniment, this is what we whipped up in my house: In a small bowl, mix 3/4 cup of sour cream, 1 tB. chopped garlic, the zest and juice of one lime, 2 tB. chopped chives, 1 tB. chopped parsley and 1 tsp. onion powder. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
When all of the juices have settled into your lamb chops, you can begin to slice them. I chose to do single chops as I was serving them on a large platter but if I was plating the chops for a dinner party I would have preferred double-chops style. The key here is to rotate the chops upwards so the bones are perpendicular to the board, this way you can slice laterally downward through the flesh ensuring that each chop is directly sliced between each bone. I like to finish mine with a very simple sprinkle of sea salt before serving and serve with an extra EMPTY bowl for people to dispose of their lamb bones.Download
SHOPPING LIST: 2-4 racks of lamb (preferably Frenched), olive oil, garlic, dijon mustard, lime, salt, pepper (SAUCE: sour cream, lime, chopped garlic, scallions, parsley, onion powder)
The first step is going to make our simple garlic marinade. In a food processor, combine 1/2 cup of olive oil with 3 tB. chopped garlic (or 10 cloves of whole garlic), the juice and zest of one lime, 2 tB. of dijon mustard and a pinch of salt and pepper. Pulse the mixture in your food processor until it’s well mixed and all of the garlic is pureed. The mixture will look very similar to a salad dressing (and could be used as such). Also, feel free to have some liberty here – add dried rosemary if you want a more herbaceous marinade, or sub the lime juice for red wine vinegar.
Remove your lamb chops from the packaging and make sure they are patted dry. GENEROUSLY sprinkle salt and pepper onto both sides of your lamb chops, giving them a nice rub to ensure that the seasoning sticks. Next, lay a rack over your baking sheet and display your racks of lamb fat-side up (so the arch of the rib bone is facing DOWN). Smother the tops of each rack in your garlic marinade and allow the marinade to sit for a minimum 1 hour.
When you’re ready, pre-heat your oven to 450 degrees. Roast the racks for 14 minutes. Remove from the oven, use tongs on the actual rib bones to flip the racks and finish roasting for 8 more minutes. Remove the lamb from the oven, flip them back over onto a wooden cutting board so the fleshier side is facing upward and cover with tin foil. Allow the chops to rest for a MINIMUM of 15 minutes.
In the meantime, if you want to make an easy accompaniment, this is what we whipped up in my house: In a small bowl, mix 3/4 cup of sour cream, 1 tB. chopped garlic, the zest and juice of one lime, 2 tB. chopped chives, 1 tB. chopped parsley and 1 tsp. onion powder. Mix well and season with salt and pepper to taste.
When all of the juices have settled into your lamb chops, you can begin to slice them. I chose to do single chops as I was serving them on a large platter but if I was plating the chops for a dinner party I would have preferred double-chops style. The key here is to rotate the chops upwards so the bones are perpendicular to the board, this way you can slice laterally downward through the flesh ensuring that each chop is directly sliced between each bone. I like to finish mine with a very simple sprinkle of sea salt before serving and serve with an extra EMPTY bowl for people to dispose of their lamb bones.Download
The Kitchen Koach 