I didn’t have lamb until I was a freshman in college and my tastebuds had an epiphany at a late night gyro joint. It’s the Cadillac of red meats with it’s rich flavor, tender texture and slightly gamy yet sophisticated aroma. While I’d cooked with ground lamb to make samosas and meatballs before, I had yet to tackle a more complicated lamb dish…that is until rack of lamb was on sale at Costco today. At first I was daunted with the task since rack of lamb usually only makes an appearance at holidays and fancy steakhouses but I soon realized that it is incredibly easy to prepare. All I had to do was rub it with some wasabi dijon mustard, coat it with some panko bread crumbs and stick it in the oven. The clean up was easy too! Some tips:
- I was in a bit of a rush so I just let the rack of lamb marinade with the mustard rub for about an hour at room temperature. I think placing it in a plastic bag and letting it refrigerate overnight would have allowed for a more robust flavor.
- Use your hands to coat the panko bread crumbs. Using a spoon or another tool can make the bread crumbs clumpy and unevenly distributed which can lead to uneven toasting in the oven.
Confession: I had the entire rack of lamb by myself. Once I sliced up the lamp chops, they were just like meat lollipops and I couldn’t help myself. Moral of the story – this recipe is meant to serve four, but it could very well serve one. Ron Swanson would have been proud.
