Lemon, Dijon-Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb
Employee Recipe by The Ratley Family
• 1 rack of lamb with 8 chops (1 ½ -2 lbs.)
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 2 tsp. of vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. of Dijon mustard
• 2 heads of garlic (for trivet in skillet)
• Juice of ½ a lemon to finish (~1- 1 ½ tbsp.)
• ¾ cup of panko or regular breadcrumbs
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 tsp. of lemon zest
• 1 tbsp. of fresh rosemary
• 1 tbsp. of fresh parsley
• 1 tbsp. of thyme
Instructions:
1) Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2) Trim the fat cap off the top of the lamb and season with salt and pepper. Heat up a large cast-iron skillet with vegetable oil and sear lamb until browned on all sides. Remove the lamb from the pan and set aside on a cooling rack or baking sheet lined with parchment paper.
3) Combine breadcrumbs, lemon zest, parsley, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper in a bowl. Lightly drizzle olive oil on top and mix until the breadcrumbs and the other ingredients are combined but still dry.
Hint: If you are using regular breadcrumbs, you can use a blender to chop the ingredients together with a little olive oil until you get a coarse, grainy texture. Adjust the amount of herbs for taste and color, which should be mostly green.
4) After the rack has cooled evenly brush all sides of the lamb with Dijon mustard and roll the lamb in the breadcrumb mixture, so that it forms a crust.
5) Put 2 heads of garlic with the tops cut off to make a flat surface and place in the bottom of your skillet. Then place your rack of lamb on top of the garlic. The ears of garlic will act as a trivet for your lamb so that your meat does not touch the bottom of the pan and overcook.
6) Place the pan in the oven to roast your rack of the lamb until it reaches an internal temperature of 125°F (medium-rare). If the breadcrumbs aren’t browned but your meat is cooked, you can broil the top until golden. Just be careful because it can burn easily.
7) Remove the rack from the oven and allow to rest for 5-10 minutes. The lamb should reach a final internal temperature of 135°F. After it has rested, squeeze ½ a lemon over the top. To serve, carefully cut the lamb chops into double chops. You will lose some breadcrumbs, but that’s ok.
Side Suggestions:
Serve with your favorite potato side (e.g., mashed or oven-roasted potatoes) and vegetable dish (e.g., roasted asparagus with lemon, butter, and parmesan, glazed carrots and parsnips with chives, or fried brussels sprouts with bacon).
Biale Wine Pairing:
This dish pairs beautifully with a bottle of our 2020 Limerick Lane Vineyard Zinfandel or 2019 Monte Rosso Vineyard Zinfandel.
