Grill/Barbecue

Grilled Deviled Lamb Ribs with Sage and Walnut Butter

by:
January  3, 2012
4
4 Ratings
  • Prep time 2 hours 45 minutes
  • Cook time 12 minutes
  • Makes 6 appetizer servings
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

Test Kitchen Notes

I love lamb ribs and cook them often, but I have never breaded them before. For this recipe, I put the ribs back in the refrigerator after dredging them to let them set up and did not have any problems with the crumb mixture falling off. The sage and walnut butter sauce was so rich that you don't need much. The flavors complemented the lamb well -- I will definitely make this again. Another option I would suggest is using freshly chopped rosemary instead of the sage. —Jean

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 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
  • For the "deviling"
  • 1 1/2 cups 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
  • Scallion, Sage, and 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 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts
  • 2 (additional) tablespoons unsalted butter (softened) cut into small bits
Directions
  1. Marinade and "Deviling"
  2. Separate rib bones and marinate for 2 hours to overnight. (Save the meaty part of the chop for another use.)
  3. 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.
  4. Put the “deviling” into a pie plate or shallow bowl. Remove the ribs from the marinade and blot excess oil on paper towels. Dredge in the crumbs and grill for about 6 minutes on each side.
  1. Scallion, Sage, and Walnut Butter
  2. Melt butter and sauté scallions until soft. Add sage, salt and pepper, vinegar, and wine. Boil mixture down quickly until 1/4 cup of liquid remains.
  3. Add the 2 tablespoons butter in small bits a little at a time. Whisk in until sauce is thickened. Stir in 1/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts.
  4. Drizzle over ribs and serve at once with LOTS of paper napkins.

See what other Food52ers are saying.

30+ years a chef, educator, writer, consultant, "winie," travel guide/coordinator

0 Reviews