We couldn’t wait until Easter to let you in on the secret to this gorgeous Mustard, Rosemary & Garlic Roasted Lamb! Lamb may seem overly complicated to cook and some people shy away from making it at home, but bear with us. This recipe’s not too fussy, fairly quick to pull together and it tastes absolutely delicious! And when the mouthwatering smell of the garlic and rosemary starts wafting out of the oven, you’ll know the prep work was completely worth it. You can even marinate the lamb overnight. As long as you bring it up to room temperature for an hour before popping it into the oven, it will only take 25-30 minutes to have dinner on the table. Serve with boiled new potatoes drenched in salty butter and a fresh green salad. Who says you can’t have a weeknight treat?
Ingredients
Serves 2-3, but is easily doubled or tripled. One rack is usually 8-9 chops, and you can count 3-4 chops per person.
1 rack of Australian or New Zealand lamb, already frenched. (This means that the sinew and fat has been removed. If you buy the lamb at a supermarket, this has usually already been done, otherwise ask your butcher to do it for you.)
1/4 cup olive oil
8 garlic cloves
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, about 2 tablespoons
1 tbsp whole grain Dijon mustard (our favorite is Maille)
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Lemon slices for garnish and an extra squeeze of acidity if you feel like it.
Instructions
Place the cold rack of lamb in a baking dish and season generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Strip the rosemary off the stalks. Combine the rosemary, olive oil and garlic in a food processor and blitz until you have a chunky paste. Alternatively, use an immersion blender in a deep bowl. Mix in the whole grain mustard by hand until well blended. Rub the marinade over the lamb, omitting the ribs. Let sit at room temperature for an hour. If you’ve marinated the lamb in the fridge overnight, take it out in time. Don’t skip this step, otherwise the lamb won’t cook evenly! Heat oven to 450 F (230 C). Place the lamb with the fat side up on a tin foil lined baking sheet and roast for 25-30 minutes until medium rare. If you have a meat thermometer, the temperature should be about 130-140°F (55-60 C). If you don’t have a meat thermometer, a good rule of thumb is that the lamb should feel firm when you press both ends of the rack, kind of like the tip of your nose! Remove from the oven, cover with foil and let rest for 15 minutes. Cut the chops away from the rack by slicing between the bones with a sharp knife.