Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb

An easy to follow recipe that renders perfectly cooked rack of lamb seasoned with a delicious crusted herb and bread topping. Furthermore this lamb recipe is simple to prepare and ready to pop in the oven in less than 15 minutes. For a dinner that will surely impress, this Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb will dazzle your guests.

My recipe for Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb is such a stunning dish. However, don’t be intimidated by its looks because this lamb recipe is so easy to prepare. This gorgeous roasted lamb is perfect for a small dinner party, as well as a simple and delicious way to serve lamb for Easter Dinner. Additionally, this is one of my favorite go to recipes for special occasions, like Valentine’s Day, Birthdays and Anniversaries. How special will your loved one feel when you serve up this beautiful mouth-watering lamb roasted to perfection.

With just a few simple ingredients, this entree will be ready to plate and serve. And with the addition of a vegetable and potatoes, the meal is complete. Often times, I serve this with parslied potatoes and sauteed spinach. But my favorite way to serve this dish is with Colorful Roasted Potatoes (pictured below).

The Meat

Don’t let Rack of Lamb be intimidating. While it can be a pricier cut of meat, it isn’t necessary to pay an outrageous amount of money in order to enjoy good lamb. Of course, if domestic lamb is available to you at a reasonable cost than please do enjoy. But I have found that stores like Costco offer imported lamb that is excellent. Furthermore, the savings of Australian lamb can be enjoyed at up to a third the price! Another benefit of a rack of lamb purchased at warehouse stores like Costco is that often times it has already been Frenched. The term Frenched means that the meat has been cleaned away from the bone which makes for a prettier presentation, as well as helping to reduce flare-ups from excess fat drippings.

Preparing the Meat

Here are a few tips to help you prepare and enjoy either domestic or imported rack of lamb.

First of all, you will want to remove the membrane from the underside of the ribs. This will be the side with the least amount of fat and the side under the curve of the bone. Unless you have purchased your meat from a good butcher, this membrane will most likely not have been removed. Sometimes, it is not easy to detect. But if you look closely you will see a thin tissue paper like layer of skin coating the underside of the bones. Try to lift this with the edge of a knife at one corner of bone. You should then be able to lift and pull this off. Often times I use a piece of paper towel to help grab the membrane.

Next flip the meat over. More than likely will you have quite a bit of fat on the top-side of the rack. With a sharp knife, trim away much of the excess fat, but leave a little for flavor. And please keep in mind, that you should always cut away from you.

At the very top part of the rack, is the meatiest fleshy part of the lamb. This is the loin. Most often, there is a membrane that runs the length of the loin that has a silver sheen to it. This is called the silver-skin. Silver-skin is a connective tissue that is chewy. You will want to trim this away from the loin. Sometimes you will have to sacrifice a little of your meat to remove the silver-skin, but the end result is well worth your efforts.

Preparing Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb

A Simple Herb Crust

Typically, this recipe calls for an herb mixture of fresh rosemary, thyme and parsley. But if you are unable to find one of these don’t worry. Simply add more of one of the other herbs or add half the amount of dried. For example, a few weeks ago, I made this dish for a birthday celebration. But this time of year, my fresh thyme has taken a hit from holiday usage. It simply has not had time to rebound. The supermarket variety was less than desirable. So I used the little bit of thyme available from my garden and chopped up a little extra parsley. Let your imagination take over and try different combinations.

The herbs are then mixed with fresh breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs can be made from any type of artisan bread: French, Italian or even sourdough.

The breadcrumb mixture is then pressed and molded over the lamb loin. At this point, the lamb is ready to go into the oven. If you are prepping, the lamb rack may be prepared to this point and refrigerated after covering with plastic wrap. Make sure to remove the lamb from the refrigerator 30-45 minutes before roasting. It is important to let the meat come up to room temperature before going into the oven.

Roasting the perfect Rack of Lamb

The lamb will roast at 450 degrees for ten minutes. The oven temperature is then reduced to 400 degrees F and the lamb continues to roast for about another 15 minutes. If you like your lamb medium-rare as seen in the photo above, remove the lamb from the oven when the internal temperature registers at 135 degrees. The lamb will continue to cook for about another 10 minutes after it is removed from the oven. Also, it is important to let any roasted meat rest for 10 minutes before cutting. Doing so will help to ensure a juicy and tastier piece of meat.

Cut and Serve

Once the meat has properly rested for ten minutes, its time to cut and serve. With a sharp knife, cut in between each bone by starting at the bone end and slicing forward through the loin. Plate and serve.

Weight Watchers and Waist Watchers

If you are following a Weight Watchers Plan, you will find a 3-ounce serving of Rack of Lamb is assigned 11 points, and this is before anything has been added. However, a 3-ounce serving of lamb chop is assigned 4 points. I always try to be as honest as possible when calculating points values. Yet, I find it highly unlikely that this dish would have a points value of 11 points per 3-ounce serving. Especially due to the fact that before cooking, a majority of the fat has been removed. In essence, what is left is a lamb chop or several lamb chops that are connected. But I will leave this decision to you and give you both calculations.

If you calculate based on the points value of Rack of Lamb, a 3-ounce serving with the crust (about 1 chop when cut) is 11 points.

If you calculate based on the points value of a Lamb Chop, a 3-ounce serving with the crust (about 1 chop when cut) is 4 WW Smart Points.

Generally when serving this dish, two chops would be considered a portion. This would then bring the point value up to 9 WW Smart Points. Which I think is a great bargain for such a delicious treat!

The calorie count for one chop with crust is 149 calories.

Buon Appetito!

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