Sunday, March 22, 2009

Spring Dinner - Rack of Lamb

The weather here has been delightfully springy, so yesterday I decided to have my favorite spring dinner: asparagus and lamb. The kids were both gone, so I splurged on rack of lamb, and after nearly having heart failure at the cost of it, I felt it needed to be displayed on a pedestal for a while. So here is the star of the show in all its glory:



I used a new recipe from Cucina Italiana and basically it is a bread crumbs, butter, mint, garlic, and parsley coating on the lamb. Then the lamb is roasted for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

I also found this California asparagus (not our local Delta brand) and it was steamed and served with mayonnaise and lemon.

Here is how the lamb looked after roasting. The coating was a little too green for my taste. Maybe I put in too much mint or whirled it too long in the Cuisinart. It was good, but I think I prefer Julia Child's recipe from her Julia Child & More Company cookbook that I've had since 1981. Her topping is bread crumbs, garlic, thyme, Dijon mustard and olive oil, which gives it a zestier flavor.


Oh, and you'll be happy to know that we had salad from my tiny little patch. Here it is dressed in EVOO, salt, pepper, and a little balsamic vinegar. Sublime.


It was a great dinner. What a shame the kids missed it. Snort, chuckle.

And p.s. to Blondie:

Wisteria plants are not male or female; all plants should bloom. A young plant may take a few years to bloom, and a fertilized plant will sometimes fail to bloom, but any plant should bloom eventually. Check out this page for more information.

5 comments:

Blondie's Journal said...

Laura,

Your rack of lamb looks scrumptious, even before it was cooked! The finished dish looked beautiful and delishious. I love asparagus year round, but mostly when I can get it from the farmers market in Michigan where I know it has been freshly cut. I have never tried it with mayo & lemon, but will certainly now!

Thank you for the info on the Wisteria. I think I am worrying myself into a frenzy!

xoxo
Jane

Martha said...

Hel-LO GORGEOUS!!!

Looks awesome!

Stickhorsecowgirls said...

My grandmother always roasted a leg of lamb every Easter. It's the only day of the year we ever had it! Nothing makes a house smell better!! She would cut slits all through the raw meat and slip slivers of fresh garlic into the cuts! Then she liberally salted and peppered it! Yummm She always served it with mint jelly and the pan drippings made the most delicious gravy for our mashed potatoes.

Spot said...

bones, please

Spot on behalf of the OHG

Neabear said...

This looks good. I have never cooked lamb before. Maybe sometime I will try.