Grilled Deviled Lamb Ribs with Sage and Walnut Butter

By ChefJune • January 3, 2012 • 1 Comments

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Author Notes: I've been deviling and grilling finger-licking lamb ribs for many seasons. When I saw this challenge, I just knew that sage and walnuts would be a great flavor combination for winter and I was right. They were so good they got gobbled up before I could take even one photo! - ChefJune

Food52 Review: I will start by saying Finger Lickin’ Good! These ribs are super tasty. I was initially worried about two things 1) how to keep the devil crumbs on during grilling and 2) that the butter sauce might be too rich … BUT …. I had lamb spare ribs, so I breaded the meaty side and not the bone side. Grilled them bone side down for several minutes then flipped them on to sprayed foil on the bread side. The crumbs grilled up crunchy and brown and the meat cooked perfectly. The butter and walnuts in the sauce are balanced by the tang of wine and vinegar plus the herbyness (is that a word?) from the sage. The end result is rich and crunchy and meaty and tangy and addictive, and I learned a new technique, too! When you are making the sauce, lean towards more vinegar than you might think you need to balance the richness of the dish. I will make these again! - aargersi

Makes 6 appetizer servings

Marinade and "Deviling"

the rib bones from 2 racks of lamb (there should be 8 ribs per rack)
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
3 branches fresh sage
3 sprigs fresh thyme
"Deviling"
1 1/2 cup freshly made bread crumbs (from French or Italian bread)
2 large cloves garlic
leaves from 6 large sprigs fresh sage
leaves from 3 large sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Separate rib bones and marinate for 2 hours to overnight. (Save the meaty part of the chop for another use.)
Preheat grill or broiler. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, chop the garlic. Add the sage and process until finely chopped. Push down, add the bread in pieces and make the crumbs. Add the thyme and salt and process until the mixture looks like green gravel.
Put the “Deviling” into a pie plate or shallow bowl. Remove the ribs from marinade and blot excess oil on paper towels. Dredge in the crumbs and grill for about 6 minutes on each side.

Scallion, Sage & Walnut Butter

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup julienned scallions (white and tender green parts)
2 stems of fresh sage leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts
2 (additional) tablespoons unsalted butter (softened) cut into small bits

Melt butter and sauté scallions until soft. Add sage, salt and pepper, vinegar and wine. Boil mixture down quickly until ¼-cup liquid remains.
Add the 2 tablespoons butter in small bits a little at a time. Whisk in until sauce is thickened. Stir in ¼ cup toasted chopped walnuts
Drizzle over bones and serve at once with LOTS of paper napkins.