This will be the easiest and most flavorful rack of lamb recipe you'll ever make! It comes together in less than an hour and is finished with a garlic almond chimichurri for the most memorable main course.
Jump to RecipeThe Easiest Rack Of Lamb You'll Ever Make
There's a common misconception that rack of lamb is difficult to execute. If you haven't worked with many meats, yet alone lamb, then that can be intimidating on its own. But let me set the record straight now, rack of lamb is much easier to make than you'd expect! It all comes down to seasonings, how you cook it and pairings. Luckily, I have all the tips and tricks that will ensure you make the best roasted rack of lamb!
This dish will yield a delicious outcome every time. With some quick time on a skillet and a few minutes in the oven to finish off, the lamb will be done in no time. Paired with a homemade chimichurri, this simple sauce is a breeze to make and packs so much flavor. You'll love the flavors of the tender meat complimented by the refreshing sauce. The chimichurri has a little kick to it that brings the perfect level of heat to this recipe!
This roasted rack of lamb recipe with homemade chimichurri serves as a delicious main course for any occasion! From holidays like Christmas and Easter to summer nights, there's never a bad time for tender, flavorful lamb. This satisfying meal is sure to impress your guests, and I promise you'll be shocker yourself with just how simple it is to make.
What is Chimichurri?
A chimichurri sauce is an uncooked sauce that is widely used in Latin America. This sauce is usually paired with cuts of meat as it perfectly compliments without overpowering it. Chimichurri is originally found in Argentinian and Uruguayan cuisines. This sauce usually includes garlic, parsley, olive oil, oregano, chili flakes and red wine vinegar. There are green and red varieties to this sauce, however in todays recipe we will be making a green chimichurri!
What's great about this sauce is it pairs well with just about anything. From this lamb recipe to your morning eggs, chimichurri adds the perfect seasoning to any dish! This light uncooked sauce will bring the perfect amount of herbs and slight kick to make any recipe more interesting and delicious!
Chimichurri sauce is actually loaded with health benefits. There is a good amount of calcium, carotenes, iron, and vitamins A and C simply coming from the parsley. Garlic is great for heart health and the olive oil will provide monounsaturated fat which helps lower cholesterol. This simple sauce only includes whole ingredients, which makes it much healthier than other sauces.
How to Make Chimichurri
Let's start on making this easy chimichurri sauce! As mentioned, we'll be making a green chimichurri from parsley, garlic, olive oil, red wine vinegar, and red chili flakes. But this chimichurri has a few additional ingredients to compliment our roasted rack of lamb. This sauce recipe uses almonds to add a textural component to the dish. While traditional chimichurris don't use nuts, there are many different variations today that use almonds or pine nuts in the recipe. As well, we'll also be using mint as this herb is a natural pairing with lamb!
Start by adding almonds, mint, parsley and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Then, add salt, red chili flakes and red wine vinegar. We'll be opting out of using oregano as we're adding mint to our sauce. Stir until the vinegar is well incorporated. Then, stir in the olive oil until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve. And voila, you've just made a chimichurri sauce! Takes less than five minutes to make a delicious nutty, yet light and refreshing sauce!
For this recipe, I used the garlic almonds from Santé Nuts. I love to use their almonds because they are batch made, loaded with flavor, and are always fresh. These garlic almonds add so much flavor to the chimichurri! Try them out for yourself and use my code "BOTTOMLESSPIT" at checkout for 20% off your order. I have so many other delicious recipes that include their nuts, so there's another great reason to take advantage of the discount! I recommend checking out my Autumn Kale and Pecan Salad, these Gluten-Free Oatmeal and Pecan Cookies for the perfect dessert option, or my Walnut and Pea Pesto Salad for an easy meal to make on a warm, sunny day!
The Different Cuts of Lamb
Like any meat, there are plenty of different cuts of lamb. You have your lamb leg sirloin, lamb leg American-Style Roast, lamb leg sirloin chops, lamb loin chop, and so much more. As each cut comes from a different part of the lamb, the type of cut you buy and cook with does matter. I recommend going straight to the butcher's counter if you're looking for a specific cut of meat. This will save you so much time wandering the meat aisle of the grocery store and trying to decide which cut is right.
To keep things simple, this recipe calls for one rack of lamb. I prefer to work with rack of lamb for three reasons. First, it's trimmed beautifully, so that there's little fat on it. Second, it's so tender and flavorful! While the loin is often considered the most flavorful part of the lamb, it's much leaner than a rack of lamb; which, makes it easier to overcook. On that note, rack of lamb is surprisingly easy to cook. You can easily complicate cooking lamb, but for the sake of simplicity without compromising flavor, we will be choosing the rack of lamb.
The rack itself includes rib bones, backbone and the rib eye muscle. For this recipe we will be splitting the ribs to get lamb chops as you will later see. This allows for great individual sized portions of this recipe! However, that comes after searing and roasting the rack. Rack of lamb is typically roasted for best results, but is sometimes grilled. Roasting the rack of lamb allows you to lock in the flavors from seasonings and allows excess fat to roll right off the rack!
Simple Steps to Making A Perfect Rack of Lamb
It is now time to start on the lamb! First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper. We'll only be working with a pound and a half of rack of lamb, so you won't need a bigger sheet. While that's preheating, remove your rack of lamb from the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. This simple step will help the lamb cook more evenly. Then, pat the meat dry with a paper towel before seasoning to ensure the lamb forms flavorful crust.
Next, season with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried thyme. I like to oil the rack of lamb first, then combine the seasonings together before sprinkling them over the entirety of the lamb. Make sure to use your hands to really work the seasonings into the meat! Then, add the butter to a cast iron skillet with the fresh rosemary. Once the butter has melted and is now sizzling, sear the rack of lamb on each side until it's browned and formed a crust. If you're searing over medium heat, it should only take one minute on each side to develop that brown crust.
Finally, place on the prepared baking sheet with the rack of lamb fat-side up. This allows the fat to melt and flow down; which will keep the meat moist as it cooks. Transfer the baking sheet to the middle rack of the oven and cook for 20 minutes. If the rack begins to burn, cover with foil. Remember that the meat will continue to cook, even after you pull it out of the oven. So, it's always best to air on the side of caution to avoid overcooking the rack of lamb.
Rest Time and Carving the Lamb
Once cooked, cover with foil and stand them upright with the fat side down. The foil will help keep the meat warm and resting them upright allows the meat to retain the juices. Be sure to allow the rack of lamb to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Skipping the rest time is one of the biggest mistakes you can make when it comes to cooking meat. During the rest time, the meat is redistributing the juices through the cut to make it more tender. This will ensure the meat is at its most flavorful and juicy! If you opt out of this step, you're compromising on the full flavor experience
After the rack of lamb has rested for the allotted time, remove from the foil and place on a carving board. To obtain the personalized lamb chops that are pictured below, take a sharp knife and carve the racks in between the rib bones. Here's a great video on how to figure out where to slice. Once you carve the first individual chop, it's much easier to configure the remaining chops. Just remember to have s sharp knife handy and work slowly! That being said, if you follow this recipe and the lamb is cooked to medium, then it should be very easy to carve.
Adding the Chimichurri
After I carve the individualized lamb chops, I like to add a dollop of the chimichurri directly to the top of the lamb. You can also serve it underneath the chop. Just remember that this chimichurri recipe is thicker than the traditional sauce. While it adds so much flavor and texture to the dish, it won't spread or run like authentic chimichurris.
If you'd rather have a chimichurri that aligns with original recipes, then don't add the almonds. This will yield a sauce that is much thinner. Either way the chimichurri sauce is delicious! It just depends what type of consistency you prefer. Just don't forget to add the mint as it does pair so beautifully with the lamb!
The Perfect Sides
In this recipe, I roasted some carrots in the oven for 15 minutes at 425 degrees Fahrenheit. If you are looking for something else to pair with the lamb, I've got a good lineup of the perfect pairings of sides for this dish.
For the spring and summer, I would recommend:
- Savory Mashed Sweet Potatoes: This Savory Mashed Sweet Potato recipe is so easy to make and tastes amazing. With fresh ingredients like thyme, leeks, and shallots, these potatoes are decadent and full of flavor.
- Snap Pea and Mint Salad: This salad is the perfect refreshing and light dish to serve up on a hot day! Plus, the mint in this arugula-based salad brings out the mint in the chimichurri!
- Carrot Pasta: This creamy, vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free recipe is the perfect light pasta dish! Topped with crunchy gluten-free breadcrumbs and a zesty gremolata made from fresh carrot tops, it doesn't get much better than this.
For fall and winter, I would recommend:
- Butternut Squash Risotto: This risotto is infused with sweet, nutty flavors of butternut squash. Paired with mushrooms sautéed in a butter-wine sauce and fresh parsley, this recipe is the epitome of fall.
- Mashed Potatoes: This recipe uses two secret ingredients to make the potatoes extra savory and creamy. The final result is delicious, decadent potatoes!
- Potato and Onion Bake: The combination of a creamy mornay sauce, onions, and a cheesy finish make for the perfect side dish. It is so decadent and will make you forget about all other potato dishes!
There are endless possibilities with a dish like this! I hope you enjoy this recipe and try out some of the side dishes to pair with. Until the next time!
Roasted Lamb With Chimichurri
Course: MainDifficulty: Easy8
servings15
minutes20
minutesPrepare yourself to be astonished by just how easy this roasted rack of lamb recipe is and how much flavor it has!
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the Chimichurri
⅓ cup garlic almonds
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup fresh mint
¾ cup fresh parsley
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon red chili flakes
¼ cup olive oil
- Ingredients for the Lamb
1.5 lbs rack of lamb
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 ½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
Directions
- Instructions for the Chimichurri
- Add the almonds, mint, parsley and garlic to a food processor. Pulse until finely chopped. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl.
- Add the salt, red chili flakes, and red wine vinegar. Stir until well incorporated.
- Then, stir in the olive oil until smooth. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Instructions for the Lamb
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Allow the rack of lamb to sit at room temperature, then pat dry with a paper towel. Season with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder and dried thyme.
- Add the butter to a cast iron skillet with the fresh rosemary. Once the butter has melted, sear the rack of lamb over medium heat for one minute on each side until a browned crust has formed.
- Then, place on the prepared baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes on the center rack.
- Once cooked, cover with foil and rest upright for 15 minutes before carving into individual lamb chops.
- Serve each individual lamb chop with chimichurri and enjoy!
Recipe Video
Notes
- Refrigerate the lamb up to five days and the chimichurri sauce up to seven days.
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