Your Daily Dish: Herb-Crusted Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

Everyone can have a great rack. Yes, you read that right…a meltingly tender rack of lamb. These impressive and deceptively easy-to-make oven-roasted lamb chops, crusted in fresh parsley, mint and thyme and drizzled with a balsamic reduction, are the ultimate crowd pleaser.

Ingredients

Herb Crusted Lamb Chops

3 tbsp finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh mint
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
2 large garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
2 slices white bread, pulsed in food processor until coarse crumbs
2 tbsp mayonnaise
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 racks of lamb, 1-1/2 lbs each (7-8 chops on each), trimmed
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

Balsamic Reduction

1 tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tbsp butter

Directions

1) Preheat oven to 450°F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray.

2) Combine parsley, mint, thyme, garlic, salt and cayenne in a pie plate. Set aside.

3) In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs, stir to lightly toast, 2-3 minutes. Remove from skillet and toss with parsley mixture.

4) In a small bowl, stir together mayonnaise and Dijon mustard.

5) Season both sides of the lamb racks with salt and pepper. Over high heat, heat the same large skillet used for the breadcrumbs. Meat-side down, place 1 rack in the skillet and brown until a crust has formed, about 2 minutes. Turn the rack with tongs and sear the bottom for another 2 minutes. Remove lamb from pan, wipe bottom of skillet and repeat with remaining rack. Transfer lamb to a plate to cool slightly.

6) Coat both top and bottom of both racks with mayonnaise mixture, spreading it over the meaty portions but not covering the bones. Roll the meat in reserved breadcrumb mixture, pressing the crumbs to adhere.

7) Place both racks on prepared baking sheet and roast for 20-25 minutes. Insert an instant read thermometer in the thickest part of the lamb, medium-rare will read 140ºF. Allow lamb to sit 5-10 minutes before carving chops. Temperature will rise by 5 degrees as it sits.

8) For balsamic reduction, heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and cook 1 minute, until soft. Stir in balsamic vinegar, turn heat to high and cook 1 minute. Add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Lower heat to medium and reduce by half, 5-6 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in butter. To serve, spoon a small amount of sauce over carved lamb chops.

Serves 4-6