This mint-crusted rack of lamb was inspired by a lamb steak recipe we did a few years ago, which featured a minted honey vinaigrette. I loved how the sweet, herbaceous dressing worked with the subtly gamey meat, and that memory filled me with confidence as I planned out this video.
Lamb is obviously a popular Easter menu option, and while I have no problem with you slathering your meat with green mint jelly…really, I don’t…my mom’s fridge always had a jar of the stuff…I do hope you’ll consider this slightly higher-end application.
I know some will be extra curious about the blanching of the mint, but I’m afraid my less-than-scientific answer may leave you unsatisfied. I learned a long time ago that if you give your green herbs a few-second blanch before using, the heat locks in the color, and they stay nice and green in whatever you’re preparing.
Of course you can Google for more information, or better yet, you can simply make the recipe in blissful ignorance. Speaking of bliss, one of my favorite things about rack of lamb is just how easy they are to cook. As long as you own a digital thermometer, you’re going to have to try really hard not to get pink, juicy meat. They’re not cheap, but there’s almost no waste, and the meat is mild and very tender.
By the way, yes, those are sweet potato tots! And no, I can’t show you how to make those at home. The recession has hit the U.S. tater tot industry very hard, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to put any more of those fine folks out of work. Anyway, if you’re looking for an easy and impressive option for Easter dinner, I hope you give this a try. Enjoy!
Ingredients for 4 Portions (*note: I only did one rack for 2 portions, so amounts in video may look off):
2 racks of lamb, trimmed, about 1.25 pounds each
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp vegetable oil for searing meat
For the crumbs:
1 cup mint leaves, blanched, squeezed dry
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
cayenne, salt, and pepper to taste
1 or 2 tbsp finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
For the mustard mixture:
1/4 cup regular or herb Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
For the honey vinaigrette:
2 tsp honey
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp Dijon mustard
34 comments:
Did you purposely leave off the mustard from the honey vinaigrette ingredient list?
oops! thanks!
Looks great John!!!!! HOW ABOUT SOME PORKETTA??!! :)
Is there any other kind of meat that this would go well with?
Looks great :)
Yes! Works with any roasts and any herbs!
The lamb looks amazing, but are those sweet potato tots?!? Please say you're going to demo those!
And puhlease tell me you are going to demo those sweet potato tots!
Hey Chef John,
Love your videos. And I'm intrigued to try Lamb for the first time for my Easter Dinner. Could you crust a Leg of Lamb instead of the Crown of Lamb? I just was curious because the Leg is a bit more my price range. ;)
If only other people in my household would appreciate lamb :(
Looks amazing! I've only done Lamb Rack with a Pesto Crust, Mint crust sounds so logical. Love the look of that herb mustard too.
Hi John,
Iknow fresh is always better, however getting fresh mint here is not easy yet. Just wondering if you feel i'll get similar results by maybe mixing mint and maybe parsley? or just go all dried mint? If one uses dried, would you change anything on your recipe, i.e. liquids to moisten it up a bit? Thanks and greets from Austria!
I'm not sure about the dried mint, as it is quite different than using the fresh, but you could certainly go with parsley too. Id mix the mint into the mustard mixture the day before so that it hydrates better. Enjoy!
I'm gonna do this with beef filet and swap out the mint with parsley :P
Is there a digital thermomometer that you would recommend?
Is there a digital thermometer that your recommend?
Hi Chef John! The recipe sounds and looks delicious. One question: does one really cut a rack in half with 5 bones on one side and 3 in the other? I wasn't sure whether you wanted one portion to be larger, or there is something related to the rack anatomy that makes one end bigger/meatier than the other.
Thanks as always!
Depends on how it was cut. The meat near the longer skinny bones is much thicker, so I try to cut the rack in half, based on the meat amounts, not the bones. It's usually 4 and 4, but sometimes it's 5/3!
I was looking for a mint plant for my garden but I saw at least 4 types of mint.... spearmint, chocolate mint and a few more... which one is best for cooking?
John! Mission accomplished! Just finishing the last drops of my incredible 2004 Brunello di Multacino whilst my wife runs the kids to the playground (i'm on clean up duty!). I served mine with sauteed spinach and went nuts making a potato au gratin (served on another plate so the tastes didn't mix too much). My wife wanted the gratin. It kinda worked, but the taste combo was very contrasting. Next time will be simple couscous or maybe lyon style fried potatos.
Good news: my wife found freshmint at this spring market, but taste wasn't as intense as we thought. BTW i used the water i blanched the leaves in to make a kinda ice-tea mixed with rosehip and fresh peals of lemon zest. Wife was impressed (she doesn't drink wine, which means more for me!).
BTW just wanted to share, i made a honey dijon mustard "glue" with fresh parsely and chives as i had them already chopped before my wife found the mint. i put them in the mustard and let it sit over night. The taste was omfg amazing, but we were shocked at how the cooked mint-bread mixture was so subtle - and the mustard glue was very strong. Our lamb was bloody expensive and so young, that it didn't taste gamey at all. We also paid a fortune for it. 3 small crowns for 52 Euro. (our butcher took our order wrongly and instead of one rack, he ordered 4 and my wife was able to talk him down to 3).
Anyway many thanks for a very successful Easter Monday lunch. Even my 6 year old daughter had 2 pieces, even if she scraped off the coating.
This was great on Easter Sunday. Skipped blanching the mint, but it stayed green anyway. Used the rest of the mint to make Mojitos ;)
Well, I got started with the Chicken Soup. I've made it 4 times, now. Then I discovered this lamb deal. What am I gonna do with all those old recipes? I wanna get back in the kitchen again! You're the greatest! I can't weight... (a little Freudian slip, there, maybe). Thanks, John!
Chef John,
Can you do this with other kinds of meat? Like a ribs?
I think I speak for everyone when I say "WE WANT THE SWEET POTATO TOTS TUTORIAL!
It is our Food wish and we're on foodwishes and you'll grant us our wish...
Thank you in advance Chef John..
Chef John, why am I not subscribed in your channel anymore? And why I can't subscribe? i tried to post this comment there, and youtube said you blocked me. Why? My nick there is marcusmello69. Thanks for your attention
Hi Chef John! I'm planning to make this recipe for Easter, and personally I love medium cooked, but in courtesy of other guests, I have to have it well done. I want to cook the lamb in between well done and medium, so it will still be nice and juicy, but not overly pink. What internal temperature would that be? Thank you and I love your recipes!
I am having hard time getting mints from my local market, can I replace it with rosemary instead?
Yes, but don't use to much it's much stronger than mint.
Hi John, the lamb looks really great. I will try it this Xmas. If I want to marinade the lamb overnight, can i leave the crumbs mixture and the mustard mixture over the lamb overnight? Thank you.
Hi John. The lamb looks great. I will make it this Xmas. If i want to marinate the lamb overnight, can i leave the crumbs mixture and the mustard mixture over the lamb overnight? Thank you.
Sure!
Tried out this recipe tonight. It was my first time ever having a rack of lamb and the first time I ever tried cooking it. However I said if I was going to try it, it was going to be from a Chef John's recipe. I followed the recipe as written and it came out DELICIOUS! The only thing I would do different is remove the fat cap that came on my racks of lamb I got from Whole Foods (was hard to find and a bit expensive). The fat cap expanded and broke the crust continuity and also left more fat than I wanted on there. However the funny story comes from my daughter. Knowing her finicky eating we decided to tell her the chop was a pork chop. So after eating she exclaimed "I can't believe I ate lamb!" We said no that was a pork chop...she explains "Daddy I saw My Big Fat Greek Wedding and this was lamb!" She then goes on to explain the scene in which she saw this same cut of meat...I had no choice but to fess up...but it was so good we all enjoyed your delicious recipe. I was most surprised at how savory and complimentary the mint was to the meat. You expect this vapor like experience and it was none of that. Great flavors and recipe! Thanks again!
Great! Yes, buy it with the cap off, or trim yourself. Hope you try again. :) Thanks!
hi chef john ! This recipe looks amazing ! I would like to cook 4 rack of lamb ! Should i do 1 rack at the time or i could do the 4 at the same time ? If i do 4 at the time, the temperature and the time are gonna be the same ? Thanks !
hey chef john will this recipe go with a basil pesto four cheese stuffed ravioli?
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