RCP: Laura Calder's Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb

Another of Laura Calder's recipes. The best rack of lamb I've had (not that I've had all that many ). It came out a little less cooked than I liked, a bit on the rarer side of rare, even though I upped the cooking time to 25 minutes. I suspect my oven is a little on the low side. It was very juicy though, so I was happy to eat it as is, and the coating was very tasty. For the original, see http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/herb-crusted-rack-of-lamb/recipe.html?dishid=9142. I served it with her accordion potatoes (http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/accordion-potatoes/recipe.html?dishid=9138), glazed carrots and a 1985 Château Montrose.

Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb

1 rack of lamb, frenched (about 8 cutlets)
Salt and pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, and rosemary...

Heat the oven to 425°F/220°C.

Season the meat with salt and pepper. Mix together the oil and mustard, then slather all over the rack to coat well. Mix together the breadcrumbs, cheese, and herbs, then pack the mixture onto the lamb rack.

Place the lamb on a rack, bones arching upwards, in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it and place in oven. Roast until the meat is done to your liking, knowing that 20 minutes will give you medium-rare meat. Let the meat rest out of the oven 10 minutes before carving.

Serves 2.

Prepared almost exactly as I remember making the best I've had, and it's been a while.

I remember roasting it for a time first, then removing and coating with the mustard, etc. and then back into the oven. Not sure where I got the recipe/technique at the time.

I've got to do this again soon!

[Jenise]

Ted, just saw this. It's pretty much my favorite method too; in fact, I just made one last night because I found that rare needle in a haystack in these here parts, a fresh organic rack from Oregon. Otherwise, it's all frozen NZ or Aus, or sometimes an Eastern Washington brand that's a bit gamier than I like. And because I just made one I have to take issue with Laura's quantities--two generous teaspoons of mustard was all it took to coat our 8 bone rack. And I didn't add oil, though in a way I did that a different way by pan-searing the rack first to get color on top. Much less oil was consumed though than would result from Laura's recipe. Btw, I also recommend a little flour on the rack pre-mustard application, it helps everything that goes on to adhere better. I don't bother with cheese, the lamb has enough fat for me. Love the fresh herbs. In winter when I have little or none around, I use either all thyme, dill or tarragon. Each brings something slightly different but no less enjoyable. Last night I used dill because I thought it would best suit the wine I was serving best.

At $15 a rack, I don't splurge on this prep often.

I have to take issue with Laura's quantities--two generous teaspoons of mustard was all it took to coat our 8 bone rack. And I didn't add oil, though in a way I did that a different way by pan-searing the rack first to get color on top. Much less oil was consumed though than would result from Laura's recipe. Btw, I also recommend a little flour on the rack pre-mustard application, it helps everything that goes on to adhere better. I don't bother with cheese, the lamb has enough fat for me. Love the fresh herbs. In winter when I have little or none around, I use either all thyme, dill or tarragon. Each brings something slightly different but no less enjoyable. Last night I used dill because I thought it would best suit the wine I was serving best.

At $15 a rack, I don't splurge on this prep often.

Wow, at $15 a rack, they must be smaller than I got, or a lot cheaper! I think I spent well over $20 for a fresh 9-rib rack (one rib was really only half a rib, though).

I'm quite happy with the amount of mustard and oil (and cheese) used ( I do like very flavourful dishes), but I'll try coating with flour next time. This is the only recipe I've made, but it's better than any I've had in a restaurant. I used the suggested thyme, parsley and rosemary, since that's what I happened to have growing out in the greenhouse. I like the idea of dill, though. What wine went with the dill?

Laura is one of my fave cooking show hosts.

I'd nibble her chops any time!!

Straight forward French cooking, not overly elaborate but always tasty. She just published a new book (now on the way to me). I'll maybe try and remember to post a review when it shows up.

She just published a new book (now on the way to me). I'll maybe try and remember to post a review when it shows up.

I have it, but have only had a chance to browse it. It looks good.

[Jenise]

Wow, at $15 a rack, they must be smaller than I got, or a lot cheaper! I think I spent well over $20 for a fresh 9-rib rack (one rib was really only half a rib, though).

I'm quite happy with the amount of mustard and oil (and cheese) used ( I do like very flavourful dishes), but I'll try coating with flour next time. This is the only recipe I've made, but it's better than any I've had in a restaurant. I used the suggested thyme, parsley and rosemary, since that's what I happened to have growing out in the greenhouse. I like the idea of dill, though. What wine went with the dill?

$15-17 is the average from this source, but they're already trimmed to perfection--no fatty top layer, no silverskin left, so they're even more a bargain than it sounds. Always mild, never gamey: best lamb I've ever bought, really.

I do like flavor too, but I'd have never been able to use up as much mustard and oil and your recipe calls for. The dill, it was just an initial top note on a robust Tuscan wine we'd opened the night before. It wasn't really dilly per se especially after it was sitting overnight; the wine was more an excuse to choose dill instead of reverting to the herbs I choose most of the time (for almost everything else I do).

Would this recipe work for bone in loin of pork? I am doing one for Christmas dinner and can not use sage. It seems to me that the herbs and dijon would work with pork as well.

[Jenise]

Sure it would, Bob.

Similar to my favorite preparation. Mine is sans cheese and uses about 1/2 ground pistacious in place of some of the bread crumbs. We could eat rack of lamb once a week. We love it!

Similar to my favorite preparation. Mine is sans cheese and uses about 1/2 ground pistacious in place of some of the bread crumbs. We could eat rack of lamb once a week. We love it!

I used a similar mixture to coat my bone in pork loin for today's dinner. Like usual though I changed it up to suit me. I omitted the bread crumbs as I felt it was just there for bulk. I also omitted the Parmesan as I felt it would maybe burn and turn bitter. I am cooking the loin and a boneless spiral cut ham along with a mix of sweet and russet potatoes on the grill with the meat(s) We will be 8 at the table. Yesterday at 4pm I decanted a 1998 Ch. Musar blanc to go with dinner, and will also open a 1998 Stone Wolf single vineyard pinot noir as well.

Made this for last night's dinner with cracked pan roasted potatoes and wilted kale. It was a hit with the whole fam. Thank you Ted for posting the recipe!
-Shaji

[Jenise]

Similar to my favorite preparation. Mine is sans cheese and uses about 1/2 ground pistacious in place of some of the bread crumbs. We could eat rack of lamb once a week. We love it!

I used a similar mixture to coat my bone in pork loin for today's dinner. Like usual though I changed it up to suit me. I omitted the bread crumbs as I felt it was just there for bulk. I also omitted the Parmesan as I felt it would maybe burn and turn bitter. I am cooking the loin and a boneless spiral cut ham along with a mix of sweet and russet potatoes on the grill with the meat(s) We will be 8 at the table. Yesterday at 4pm I decanted a 1998 Ch. Musar blanc to go with dinner, and will also open a 1998 Stone Wolf single vineyard pinot noir as well.

The bread crumbs are not for bulk, rather, they're the liaison that keeps the mustard and herbs on the lamb as well and what turns a wet surface into a dry surface for browning. It's a treatment for oven roasting, not grilling.

Just an addendum to this recipe:

I made it last night with rib chops (in fact, a rack that the butcher had cut into individual chops for me), and it was even better - mainly because the chops got coated on all sides with the herb crust, not just the outside of the rack. I needed a little more of the coating, and needed to cook it for a shorter time (after 20 minutes, it was medium, rather than medium-rare). I just dipped the chops into a bowl containing the oil-mustard mixture and then into the breadcrumb mixture and laid them sideways on a rack in a roasting pan. Yummy!

For a change, I served it with rotini in a garlic-cream sauce, oven-roasted summer squash and a 1983 Château Léoville-Barton.

Nice wine choice, Ted.