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For the Love of Lamb – Valentine’s with Chef Cal
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Lamb Dinner for Two
Description
FOR THE LOVE OF LAMB! A great date night treat to make together at home. Roast a rack of lamb with Dijon crust and side with Potatoes Anna and Quick Asparagus.
Ingredients
LAMB
DIJONNAISE
POTATOES ANNA
QUICK ASPARAGUS
Method
DINNER START TO FINISH
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Heat Oven; Prep Potatoes, Asparagus, Dijonnaise
Preheat oven to 450°.
Steam, poach, or microwave the potatoes until tender, to an internal temp of 210°. To microwave, place in glass dish, cover and cook on high, approximately 6-8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Prepare asparagus by trimming off woody ends, then placing in a one-gallon Ziploc bag with butter, salt and pepper. Close bag and place in microwave-safe glass dish, such as pie plate; set aside.
For the Dijonnaise, start by preparing the Knorr packet mix with milk and butter, as directed. Finish by whisking in Dijon mustard; set aside, keep warm.
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Prep Lamb
Combine Dijon, vinegar and thyme; set aside. Place breadcrumbs into shallow dish/pie plate; set aside. With sharp boning knife, trim and remove excess fat and silver skin from the rack of lamb. Completely coat lamb loin with Dijon mixture, using spatula or basting brush. Next, roll the Dijon coated loin in the panko, pressing into crumbs to fully coat. Place on heavy-bottom, oven-safe, pan or glass dish and drizzle with 1 oz. melted butter. Place in preheated 450° oven, with the loin toward the back of the oven. Set timer for 8 minutes. Have instant read thermometer nearby, at-the-ready.
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Roasting Potatoes
While lamb is roasting, prepare the potatoes for warming in the oven. Trim ends off of potatoes and excess curves along bottom, cutting them to uniform size. Slice each potato into 1/4" slices. Place in oven-safe shallow dish, and press back to fan, like falling dominoes. Drizzle with melted butter. Using a microplane, shave a generous layer of parmesan cheese across the top, then lightly dust with paprika. Pour chicken broth into the bottom of the dish, coming about 1/4-1/2" up the sides of the potatoes. Place in oven next to the lamb.
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Lamb, Check and Spin
Remove lamb from oven after 8 minutes of cooking and check internal temp. Rest for 5 minutes. Check internal temp once more and place lamb back into oven, spinning it around with the ribs now toward the back of oven and check every 3 minutes until desired doneness (135° medium-rare, 145° for medium).
Once desired internal temp has been reached, remove lamb from oven. Place lamb on cutting board and allow to rest a minimum of 10 minutes to maintain juices.
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Rest Lamb and Finish Asparagus
While the lamb is resting, just before you are ready to plate, microwave the asparagus for 2-3 minutes on high, until al dente. Warm plates in the microwave or in oven. On stove, heat Dijonnaise, bringing it up to 145°.
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Begin Plating
Have two hot plates at the ready. Pull the potatoes from the oven. Slice lamb in between ribs, into individual chops. Divide potatoes between the two plates, keeping together in fanned position. Divide lamb chops between the two plates, placing across the potatoes. Place the asparagus on plates, laying alongside potatoes. Pour hot Dijonnaise over the top of the lamb. Place a sprig of fresh thyme as a garnish.
Now you are ready to serve and enjoy a meal you created together. Enjoy!
Note
CHEF'S WINE SUGGESTIONS
Choose to drink what you love, but generally, a well-rounded red wine with moderate tannin is a good match for lamb. I recommend a robust Red Zinfandel or Syrah.
CHEF'S SAUCE SUGGESTIONS
I have served lamb with a few different sauces. Dijonnaise is my first choice. A melted mint jelly is very classic. For a bit of sweet, you may also try a reduced balsamic glaze or a grenadine syrup. You may also thicken pomegranate juice with a touch of Xanthan Gum, blending quickly with an immersion blender.
MAKING CHICKEN/VEGETABLE STOCK SIMPLY
Instead of making chicken stock from scratch, or purchasing boxed liquid stock, we always have chicken base on hand, which is a dehydrated stock in a paste or condensed liquid preparation. It is then added to water to create stock, allowing for the intensity of flavor to be adjusted to your liking. There are many base flavors available from chicken, seafood and beef to vegetable and roasted garlic. Many grocery stores now carry a brands such as Better than Bouillon, Minor's or Knorr. If you have access to a CHEF'STORE, we prefer to use Knorr Professional Liquid Concentrated Chicken Base.
