| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 3 hr 25 min |
| Prep: | 25 min |
| Inactive: | 2 hr |
| Cook: | 1 hr |
| Yield: | 1 rack of lamb, serving 2 |
Ingredients
- 1 rack of lamb, trimmed (about 1 1/2 pounds)
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
- 1/4 cup seasoned bread crumbs
- 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan
- Fig Chutney, recipe follows, optional
- 2 1/2 cups red wine vinegar
- 1/2 pound light brown sugar
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons yellow mustard seeds
- 1/4 lemon, zested
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1 3/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 1/4 pounds firm, slightly underripe fresh figs, rinsed, stems removed and halved
Instructions
- Season rack of lamb well on all sides with salt and pepper. Heat a medium skillet over high heat and, when hot, add the oil. When the oil is almost smoking, add the rack of lamb and brown well on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a plate and set aside to cool slightly before proceeding.
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
- Using the back of a spoon, spread the mustard evenly over all sides of the lamb. Spread the minced garlic over the lamb in the same manner.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the breadcrumbs and grated cheese and toss to thoroughly combine. Using your hands or a spoon, spread the breadcrumb mixture evenly all over the lamb, pressing so that the crumbs adhere to the meat.
- Place the rack of lamb on a baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes for medium-rare. Allow lamb to sit for 5 to 10 minutes before carving into chops to serve.
- Serve with some of the Fig Chutney, if desired.
- In a large saucepan combine the vinegar, sugar, onion, ginger, mustard seeds, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, salt, allspice, and cloves and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook until mixture is thickened and reduced by 2/3, forming a thick syrup. Add the figs and cook gently until the figs are very soft and beginning to fall apart and most of the liquid they’ve given off has evaporated, about 30 minutes.
- Transfer the chutney to a non-reactive container and allow to come to room temperature before serving. The chutney may be made up to 3 weeks in advance and stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container. (Alternately, hot chutney may be ladled into hot sterilized canning jars and processed in a hot-water bath according to manufacturer’s directions.)
Reviews
There is no way to achieve a medium rare lamb in 12-15 minutes unless you’re using nuclear fission.
You definitely have to roast this 450F 15 mins on one side and then flip for another 10 mins on the other side to get it Medium Rare. Other than that the recipe is great!
Delicious. I’ve made this twice now (without the chutney) and the family definitely wants it to be a regular. it’s such a simple recipe. I accidentally set the oven too low the second time so it needed a lot longer to cook but still turned out well!
Best rack of lamb recipes period! Have been making this for years. Chutney is fantastic! For New Years, these two recipes, his twice-baked-potato casserole, Sunny’s creamed spinach, Tyler’s lemon-blueberry tart. Yum.
12 minutes? What size rack of lamb is the author using? After 20 minutes it was still raw inside
This was perfect! I had to cook it 30 minutes to get it medium rare so use a thermometer. Did not make the chutney as this is moist and delicious on it own
Made this for the 3rd time. So easy and just amazing. I haven’t tried the fig chutney since I also seem to make this as a weekday meal.
Perfect blend of flavors I was looking for to crust the rack. I made the mustard schmear with 3 tbsp Dijon and added the minced garlic to the schmear. For the crust, I used 1/3 c Italian breadcrumbs, 2 tbsp fresh grated Parmesan, 1 heaping tbsp Italian herb blend and about 1 1/2 tsp oil just to moisten it. My rack was just under 1 1/2 lbs, but it did take nearly 20 minutes to reach 125-130 degrees. I had to loosely tent it at the end to prevent the crust from over browning. Thanks Emeril!
Why does the prep say 3 hours???
I love this lamb dish and make it often. I don’t do his chutney, but I make a blackberry sauce with blackberries and blackberry liquor reduced down and drizzled over top. It simple and quick.