Herby Panko-Crusted Rack of Lamb
My father-in-law Steve (the crab cake king) loves rack of lamb so much, I’m pretty sure he’d eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner if he could. And seeing as my in-laws are staying with us, when I offered to cook them dinner on Sunday, I knew that if I asked “any special requests?” there could only be one answer.
Funny how as technology changes, our recipe references change too. In the past, I would’ve pulled down a cookbook; this time I went on to YouTube and watched a bunch of rack of lamb videos. The one that won the day was this one from America’s Test Kitchen.
I liked it because (a) it looked incredible and (b) it mirrored the technique that I watched Gordon Ramsay employ in a different video. To whit: you start by toasting Panko in a pan with lots of garlic, thyme, rosemary (my addition, plucked off my rosemary bush #humblebrag), anchovies, salt, and pepper.
Next you turn to the lamb. I bought two racks at our local butcher, Paisano’s, and they were beautiful racks indeed.
When you have meat this beautiful, you could really just coat it in salt and pepper, roast it in the oven, and eat it happily. Instead, I followed the steps in the video and browned the racks in a pan, one at a time until they were golden brown all over.
Then I brushed everything with Dijon mustard and, having placed the toasted Panko in a 9X13 pan (and mixed it with lemon zest and parsley), I simply pressed the racks into the Panko all over and then returned them to a cookie sheet fitted with a wire rack.
Into a 300 degree oven it went and about 40 minutes later, when it hit around 125-130, I took it out and let it rest.
In the video, it tells you to use a boning knife to cut between the ribs, but alas all I had was a regular one. Here I am with my father-in-law Steve filming me for a future Reels (if I get around to making it). We also had a rapt audience with Winston.
I served it with smashed and fried Yukon gold potatoes and a little salad with watermelon radishes. Here’s the happy family at the table.
Happy customers indeed!
So thank you YouTube for leading me to this recipe. And since they don’t give you amounts in the text, just the video, here’s my attempt to type it all up for you. Hope you enjoy it as much as my father-in-law.
Rosemary Garlic Panko-Crusted Rack of Lamb
A herbaceous, garlicky rack-of-lamb that’s a cinch to pull together with a few key ingredients.
Ingredients:
For the breadcrumbs:
1 cup panko
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh chopped thyme or rosemary or a combination of both (that’s what I did)
6 cloves minced garlic
4 minced anchovies
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Minced fresh parsley (a few Tablespoons)
1 tablespooon lemon zest
For the lamb:
2 racks of lamb, patted dry with paper towels
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
Instructions:
Preheat your oven to 300.
In a large non-stick skillet, add all of the breadcrumb ingredients except the parsley and the lemon zest. Place the pan on medium heat and using a heatproof rubber spatula, stir as the breadcrumbs toast, making sure to distribute the garlic, the herbs, and the oil until the Panko turns golden brown. Don’t take it too far because it might get a little more color in the oven.
Pour the Panko into a 9X13 pan and stir in the parsley and the lemon zest.
Now let’s deal with the lamb. Wipe out the skillet that you toasted the breadcrumbs in and add a little olive oil. Season the lamb racks all over with salt and pepper (the video says 1 tablespoon of kosher salt per rack). Heat the skillet over high heat and when smoking, add one of the racks, fatty side down. Sear it in the skillet until golden brown, then turn over with tongs and sear the other side. Sear the sides too and then remove to a cookie sheet fitted with a wire rack. Repeat with the other rack.
Let the racks cool so you can handle them. Then brush the racks all over with the Dijon so it’s coated on all sides. Lift the lamb racks by the bones one at a time and press into the Panko mixture. Press the Panko on to all of the sides of the lamb and return to the cookie sheet, bones facing down.
Roast in the 300 oven for 40 minutes or so and start checking the temperature a bit earlier. You want it to hit 125 for pink inside. Remove from the oven and lift the racks on to a cutting board and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Carve the racks between the bones with a sharp knife and serve right away.
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