My husband's special meal

Whenever we have a special celebration dinner for my husband, almost always he requests lamb for his special meal. I used to not like lamb, but as it turns out, I was basing this opinion on lamb that was way overcooked as part of a chinese stir fry. If prepared rare to medium rare, the flavor is so much better! It's so naturally tender and overcooking it just makes it chewy, and, in my opinion, not good.

So for the most recent lamb night, I did a dijon-rosemary crusted rack of lamb with a sweet balsamic glaze.



What you need:
1 large French trimmed rack of lamb (about 9-10 chops)


3 tbsp Dijon mustard



2 tbsp rosemary , very finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 tsp pepper & pinch salt


prepare the mustard rub, mixing the mustard, rosemary, garlic and pepper in a small bowl. Add a little olive oil if the consistency is too thick.


Separate the chops and spread the rub on both sides of the chops.


Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook for 3-4 minutes until each side is brown and crusty. The internal temperature for rare is 125ºF to 130ºF and medium-rare is 130ºF to 140ºF.


Remove from heat and let sit while you make the balsamic glaze, so the juices can flow through the meat.


For the balsamic glaze, just heat 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar over medium heat with a tablespoon of sugar and simmer until reduced by half. Drizzle over the lamb chops and preferably serve with roasted root vegetables.



Rosemary Roasted Potatoes & Carrots
Drizzle red potatoes with olive oil, s&p, and chopped rosemary. Roast at 400 for 25 minutes.



A couple notes on lamb. I prefer to buy lamb from New Zealand because lamb in NZ, by law, must be grass fed.
NZ standards state that grass and/or forage shall be the feed source consumed for the lifetime of the ruminant animal (lamb), with the exception of milk consumed prior to weaning. The diet shall be derived solely from forage, and animals cannot be fed grain or grain by-products and must have continuous access to pasture during the growing season.

Numerous health benefits can be obtained from grass feeding livestock. According to various research studies, the meat and milk from grass-fed ruminants contains more conjugated lineolic acid (CLA), vitamin E, omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene, and vitamin A than the meat and milk from grain-fed animals. CLA and omega-3 fatty acids are good fats with anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, and anti-fat properties.

Sams club sells New Zealand lamb, and I hear Trader Joes does also, though the future TJ in gainesville isn't open yet, so can't vouch for that.

Lamb is also a lean red meat, high in nutrients and low in calories for a red meat, so allow a little splurge!