Don't be intimidated: Rack of Lamb

When I started eating low-carb, I was excited to get into the kitchen and create. Not only did I find myself with a lot of time since it coincided with the shut down, but also beef and chicken prices increased noticeably, we had shortages, and beef in particular was tough, too tough to eat. It was time to start adding something new.

After reading minimal recipes, I decided to pick up some lamb at Costco. Traditional lamb spices didn't sound appealing to me, but figured I'd give it a go. I started with a leg of lamb and used traditional warm spices. It was okay, but wasn't really our cup of tea, Honestly, I think it was the leg of lamb itself not the spices. I'm confident I will use those spices again. Back to the drawing board.

The least intimidating lamb cut in the case was the double cut lamb chops to me, so tossed them in the cart. I kept thinking they look like pork chops, so it has to be similar. This is what I knew going in: 1. Rosemary goes well with lamb according to a few websites I had scanned 2. I LOVE rosemary. 3. I have plenty of it on hand. That's where I started. Since I cannot imagine using rosemary without minced garlic, it was my next instinctive step. My first attempt was using these simple ingredients: avocado oil, rosemary, minced garlic, salt and pepper. After marinating them overnight, I seared them in my cast-iron pan and voila. Tom and I were both so thrilled with the results, it was the only way I cooked them for a long while.

It was time to move on. I wanted to tackle the rack of lamb. These were the thoughts flowing through my brain: Lamb is intimidating. I see people make it for special occasions, so that means it is special, right? Is it okay to make on a Wednesday night??? It's a little pricey, isn't it? I don't want to mess this up. How long is it going to cook? How do I begin to french the bones? I had so many thoughts, so much concern.

Here's what I learned after some digging:

*Costco racks are already Frenched.

*The racks run about $20 in our area, which could be considered pricey, but it isn't like we are eating it daily

*You don't know until you just do it

Rack of lamb

1/3 cup pork panko

1 1/2 tbsp herb garlic seasoning

3 tsp peppercorn mayonnaise

Sheet pan with rack

Oven-safe probe

Brush

Cast iron pan

Preheat oven to 300° F

Begin by lightly salting the lamb. Sear fat side down in cast iron pan to build flavors and render some of the fat, 2-3 minutes per side.

Move to rack. Evenly brush mayonnaise on the lamb.

Mix pork panko and herb garlic seasoning well. Sprinkle and pat all on lamb, covering all mayo areas, including sides.

Insert probe into center of the lamb. I describe it as the center of the center.

Medium temp should be set to 135°.

Lamb will cook between 30 and 45 minutes based on the size.

When timer is done, remove and rest for 10 minutes before slicing. With a sharp knife, it should slice like butter! The higher the temperature, the less tender your lamb will be.

Variations:

Chipotle Mayonnaise

Stone Ground Mustard

Chops: Slice raw and season with rosemary and herbs and sear in a pan.

Big Life Breakdown: Always try new things. Always play with what you have on hand. Don't worry about traditions, if you like a flavor profile, then it is okay to stick with it.

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