Christmas

Rack of Lamb with Parmesan-Herb Crust

by:
November 17, 2015
2
4 Ratings
Rack of Lamb with Parmesan-Herb Crust
Photo by Alpha Smoot
  • Makes 2 racks of lamb or about 6 servings
Author Notes

This recipe comes from my mother, which is adapted from her friend and teacher Suzanne Dunaway and served in lieu of turkey (which she hates) every year for Thanksgiving. —Leslie Stephens

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 2 prepared racks of lamb, with ends of the bones scraped clean, or “Frenched”
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, plus some to grease pan
  • 1/2 cup fine bread crumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary (or 2 teaspoons dried)
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme (or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme)
  • 1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
  • 1 large clove garlic, minced
  • 3/8 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste
Directions
  1. Preheat oven to 450° F.
  2. Spray or generously wipe olive oil on sides and bottom of a shallow roasting pan large enough to hold both lamb racks; set aside.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix the bread crumbs, grated Parmesan, rosemary, thyme, and parsley. Mash the minced garlic with salt and add to herb mixture. Stir in pepper and the 3 tablespoons olive oil.
  4. Rinse lamb racks well and pat dry. Trim most of the excess fat. Place the them fat-side up in the roasting pan. Pat half the herb mixture on the fat side of each rack.
  5. Roast for 10 minutes; reduce heat to 400° F and continue roasting for another 10 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat is 120° F for rare. Return to the oven for three minutes more for medium rare. Remove from the oven and allow meat to rest 10 minutes before carving.
  6. To serve, slice between the bones into individual chops, allowing about two per person.
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5 Reviews

Sara G.
Sara G. April 4, 2021
This was the best rack of lamb I have had, and I’ve made many. I used all of the Parm/herb mixture on one rack, which weighed 2.05 pounds. I left it in the oven 10 minutes longer to bring it to medium rare. Served it with a baked potato and fresh asparagus for a wonderful Easter dinner. I shared a picture of the finished rack with my sister, and she wanted the recipe, with all of the details! This was well worth doing.
 
Hazoner
Hazoner February 14, 2019
I made this and it came out amazing! I used an egg white wash and had to cook it longer. 10 min @ 450 and 23 min @ 400. Meat thermometer read 160 F and it was slightly pink and perfectly cooked.
 
don
don November 27, 2018
I made this. Cooked it for longer than the recipe called for and it came out raw. Not rare but raw. Love the recipes on this site but this one is a big miss.
 
nancy J.
nancy J. November 22, 2015
I made this last night and did 3 racks for 9 people. I also did all the prep work in the morning and refrigerated the lamb, taking it out an hour before cooking to warm to room temperature. This was fabulous -- the herb crust and the rare lamb were so delicious. And it was easy to cook with friends milling around the kitchen as it was all done ahead, including the mint sauce. Will do this again, soon, as Costco has great Australian rack of lamb.
 
Chef D.
Chef D. November 20, 2015
I love any lamb recipe, so I will probably enjoy this one aswell :)