Lamb, at its most tender during the spring months, is leaner than beef and just as versatile.
By Daniel Duane
Even though lamb is a featured item at many top american restaurants, the average American consumes less than one pound of the meat per year. And that’s a shame, because it is not only the most tender and mild of all red meats, it’s also healthy, with just eight grams of fat per three-ounce serving (compared to 16 grams in the same amount of beef). Whatever the reason for the low consumption, lamb should not be overlooked for cooking at home — especially around Easter, when the animal is at its most delicious. We spoke with three chefs, who shared their favorite cuts of lamb and the best way to prepare each.
Bruce Aidells’s Roast Leg of Lamb
A whole limb, roasted and running with bloody red juice, the leg is all about ease. Once you’ve salted and shoved that meat in the oven, and poured some pinot noir for your friends, there’s nothing to it but timing. For the best flavor, Aidells encourages ordering from a high-end U.S. ranch: “Jamison Farm is a great source, finished completely on grass.”
Recipe:
1 tbsp olive oil • 1/2 cup Dijon mustard • 1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary • 1 tsp kosher salt • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper • 1 tbsp minced garlic • 6-to-8-lb whole leg of lamb, shank intact, hip bone removed
Mix all ingredients (except the lamb) in a medium bowl and set aside. Trim most of the visible fat from the leg and skewer or sew together the flaps of meat where the bones have been removed. Brush the meat with the flavored mixture and let sit for up to two hours at room temperature. Preheat the oven to 350˚. Roast the lamb in the middle of the oven for 1 hour. When the internal temperature of the thickest part of the meat reads 115˚–120˚ (for perfect medium-rare), remove the lamb from the oven. Loosely cover the roast with tinfoil and let it rest on the counter for at least 20 minutes before carving and serving. Oven-roasted potatoes and lightly steamed green beans with garlic and walnut oil are the perfect side dishes for this piece of meat. Serves 6.
Laurent Tourondel’s Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb
“I love how well the crust melts with the meat of this dish,” says Tourondel, whose empire includes seven BLT Steak joints across the country.
Recipe:
1/2 cup parsley leaves • 4 cups panko bread crumbs • 1/2 cup chopped chives • 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted and ground • 1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese • fine sea salt and ground black pepper to taste • 3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces • 1/4 cup olive oil • 3 racks of lamb, trimmed and bones frenched
Blanch the parsley. Grind the panko in a food processor and pour into a bowl. Blend the parsley, chives, pine nuts, cheese, and a pinch of salt and pepper in the processor until it forms a paste, adding the butter a bit at a time. Put the mixture in a bowl and gradually blend in the panko. Spread this mixture between two pieces of plastic wrap, roll it into a 1/8-inch-thick layer, and refrigerate until firm. Preheat the oven to 450˚ and heat the oil in a skillet on the stove. Season the lamb with salt and pepper, then add racks fat-side down to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes. Now roast the racks in the oven, bone-side up, for 7 minutes, then turn them bone-side down for another 15 for medium-rare (to a temperature of 140˚–150˚). Remove lamb from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Turn on the broiler. Move the lamb to a roasting pan, bone-side down. Cut panko mixture to fit the meat, place on top of each rack, and run under the broiler for 1 to 2 minutes. Serves 6.
Dan Barber’s Braised Lamb Neck Terrine
“On the menu right now I have braised lamb neck, which I just adore,” says Barber, executive chef at New York’s Blue Hill restaurant and a leading authority on humane animal husbandry.
Recipe:
2 tbsp vegetable oil • 4 lamb necks, deboned • salt and freshly ground pepper • 1 large onion, 2 carrots, and 1 celery stalk, diced • 3 garlic cloves, smashed • 1-1/2 cups red wine • 1/2 cup red wine vinegar • 1 bay leaf, 1 sprig rosemary, and 3 sprigs thyme, tied together • 1-1/2 quarts chicken stock
Preheat the oven to 350˚ and heat the oil in a medium casserole on the stove. Season the necks with salt and pepper, brown them for 3 minutes per side, then remove and set aside. Caramelize the vegetables and garlic in the oil, about 10 minutes. Deglaze the pot with red wine and vinegar and reduce by two-thirds. Return the necks to the pot with the herbs, cover with stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover the pot and braise in the oven for about 1-1/2 hours. Remove the lamb, strain out the vegetables, and reduce the liquid by three-quarters, until slightly thickened. Return the lamb to the liquid and keep warm until serving. Spoon the sauce over the lamb. Serves 4.
This article originally appeared in the April 2009 issue of Men’s Journal.
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