Get inspired with two ways to make it!
Step aside, beef and bison. Later, chicken and pork. It’s time to add locally-grown Grand Teton Lamb to your dinner rotation!
Helmed by the Siddoway family for six generations, Grand Teton Lamb raises sheep in Idaho, Wyoming and Utah using traditional herding techniques that prioritize the health of the landscape and their flocks. Using tactics that move thousands of ewes and lambs to new grazing land each day, the animals consume a diverse and healthy diet of wild grasses and forbs.
“Sheep managed well are an asset to the environment,” the Grand Teton Lamb team explains. “They cultivate the land. Their hoofprints are a natural plough, aerating the soil and enriching it with organic nutrients. With a preference for forbs, sheep balance the consumption of vegetation with grazers like elk and browsers like deer preventing species dominance. Grazing management increases biodiversity and prevents overgrowth that could fuel wildfires… The presence of sheep creates a healthier ecosystem where flora and fauna flourish in synchrony.”
Also? The flavor is exceptional!
Grand Teton Lamb offers a variety of cuts, each of which lends itself to one style of cooking or another. Shanks and roasts practically melt into fork-tenderness when slowly braised. Chops and ground meat shine in perfectly-spiced rubs and tossed on the grill. (There are plenty of recipes for all cuts on Grand Teton Lamb website‘s website)
Perhaps the most iconic — and most treasured — cut is the Frenched rack of lamb. Tender and flavorful, the key to preparing a flawless rack of lamb is to avoid overcooking it. To set you on the right track, here are two ways to cook this exquisite cut, recommended by the team at Grand Teton Lamb. They’re easy enough to make on a weeknight, but sophisticated enough to impress at your next special occasion.
Ingredients
- 2 pound rack of lamb
- 1 tablespoons salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic, halved
- 2 sprigs rosemary
Instructions
- Remove the rack from refrigeration at least 30 minutes before grilling.
- Trim the fat cap from the back of the rack to about ¼ inch
- Season the rack with salt and pepper.
- Heat a cast iron skillet to medium-high heat on the stovetop.
- Add oil to skillet. Then begin searing the rack of lamb, with the meat side down. Cook for approximately 3 minutes until brown.
- Flip the rack with the fat side down, and cook for another three minutes.
- Then, reduce heat to medium-low. Add butter, garlic, and rosemary to the skillet. Holding the skillet at an angle, use a spoon to lift the flavored butter from the bottom of the skillet and baste the meat with it. Continue this process, spooning butter over the meat, for about three minutes. Check the internal temperature of the meat to make sure it is done – 135 F for rare, or 145 F for medium.
- Allow the rack to rest for at least five minutes before carving. Use any extra butter to flavor the chops as you plate.
Panko-Crusted Rack of Lamb
Ingredients
- 2-pound rack of lamb, frenched
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup Panko bread crumbs
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil
- 1 tablespoons Dijon mustard
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Trim excess fat off of the rack of lamb as desired. If you are leaving a fat cap on the back side of the bones, score that fat layer by cutting a grid shaped pattern through the fat without piercing the meat. This will help the fat crisp in the oven.
- Season the trimmed rack with salt and pepper.
- Combine Panko crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and basil in a food processor. Pulse for 40 seconds or until evenly chopped and combined.
- Spread Panko mixture on a baking sheet and bake in the preheated oven for 5-7 minutes until it just begins to turn golden. (It has to go back in the oven, so do not over-cook.) Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Increase the oven temperature to 450 F.
- Place the rack in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan. (If you use a baking sheet, cover it with foil to prevent staining.)
- Roast the rack in the hot oven for ten minutes.
- Reduce oven heat to 375 F.
- Remove the rack from the oven and take it from the skillet or roasting pan. You can place the rack on a plate or on a clean portion of the baking sheet with the Panko crumbs. Using a pastry brush, coat the back and bottom of the rack with Dijon mustard. Press the back and bottom of the rack into the toasted Panko crumbs to apply an even coat.
- Return the rack to the cast iron skillet. Insert an oven-proof thermometer through the side of the rack, keeping the thermometer in the center of the eye and not touching a bone. Return the rack to the medium oven. Cook for approximately 5 minutes until the temperature reaches 135 F for rare, or 145 F for medium.
- This dish can be served with a wine reduction, pan sauce, or parsley/basil gremolata, but it stands up well alone.
