We love rack of lamb, but there are just those times when the last thing I want to do is spend a lot of time in the kitchen. Luckily, those days don’t happen very often. But when they do, I am so glad I have a simple recipe like this one to produce an entrée that tastes like I have been busy for hours in the kitchen. And now, you too have the simplest possible way to serve up rack of lamb that is both family and company worthy. No chopping of garlic, shallots, or any of the other usual suspects. Just a bit of trimming some of the fat before slathering with olive oil and sprinkling with granulated garlic, salt, pepper, and a couple of dried herbs. Easy peasy.  

So, I’m not going to bore you with any more glowing testimonial about this recipe except to tell you that rack of lamb fixed this way is truly delicious. And could not be easier to prepare. My work here is done!

As always, have fun in your kitchen. But when you need a day off, don’t hesitate to take one. Everyone needs a break from their usual routine. And cooks are no exception. So, don’t beat yourself up when you need to step away from your stove and let someone else have the pleasure of cooking for you. If, for whatever reason, that isn’t possible for you, then try to mix things up a bit. Serve a simple grilled sandwich for dinner accompanied by potato chips. Or serve bacon and eggs. Or a big old plate of nachos. Something different that your family will probably find fun and provide you with a bit of a change. Whatever is necessary to take some of the pressure off you even for one evening.

It truly is hard work deciding what to fix for dinner every stinkin’ night. And then to follow up by actually making the dinner happen. I know. I’m right there with you! So, if you need a well-deserved break, don’t hesitate to take one!

As ever – peace and love to all.

1 (8-rib) frenched rack of lamb, trimmed of all but a thin layer of fat

1 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. granulated garlic

½ tsp. dried rosemary

¼ tsp. dried thyme

An hour before you start roasting the lamb, line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. 

Place the trimmed rack of lamb on the prepared baking sheet, fat side up. Score the remaining fat by making small shallow slits, 1-inch apart. 

Liberally slather both sides of the lamb with olive oil. Combine the salt, pepper, granulated garlic, dried rosemary, and dried thyme together in a small dish. Sprinkle on both sides of the rack. Allow the meat to rest on the counter for about an hour and come to room temperature. 

Roast the meat in a preheated 425-degree oven for 25-30 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part (and not touching the bone) reads 125-135 degrees. (The internal temperature will rise about 5-degrees while it rests.) (Providing an exact time to roast the meat is difficult to state when giving directions because there is so much difference in the size of the racks offered in meat shops and grocery stores. Using an internal temperature thermometer is really the only way to get it right. As a guide – take the rack out of the oven when it reaches 125-degrees for rare and 135-degrees for medium rare.)   

Remove the lamb from the oven. Transfer it to a cutting board. Cover with foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

To cut the rack into individual ribs, turn it upside down, locate where the bones are, and carefully cut between them using a sharp knife. Serve immediately. 

OK, lamb chops are still one of the easiest meats to truly mess up. And why is that you might ask. Well, it’s because some people tend to cook the hell out of them. And that is just not the proper way to treat this most delicate and savory of meats. It isn’t right, it isn’t fair, and it’s just plain wrong! Wrong I tell you. Wrong! And I would even take it one step further if I had my way. I would make it mandatory that a label be affixed to a package of lamb chops that read – “if you can’t cook lamb chops properly, you are not allowed to take this package out of the store. Go buy a package of chicken instead because chicken must never be served rare.”

So, now that you have some idea of how strongly I feel on the subject, let’s get back to this recipe.

The other day when faced with a package of 5 thick lamb chops defrosting on my drain board, I decided to make life easy on myself. A bit of marinade to add flavor to the chops, a bit of time in a cold environment, and then a quick fry finished with a bit of oven time. Easy peasy. A bit of hummus and tzatziki to add interest to the meal. Some fresh veggies to dip in said hummus and tzatziki, and dinner was served. (See recipes for Hummus and Tzatziki below.)

And I must say, because I try to always be truthful, the chops were mighty darn fine!

So, if you too would like to mix things up a bit when next you fix lamb chops, give this simple recipe a try. And if you have never fixed lamb chops, what in the wild world of sports are you waiting for? They are truly one of the easiest meats to prepare. And by far, one of the most delicious.

Well, that’s enough ranting for today. The weather is still not perfect here in western Washington, but no complaints will be expressed by me on the subject. Because the rest of our country is experiencing super high temperatures, flooding, unprecedented storms, out of control wildfires, etc. etc., while we are only being inconvenienced with a few clouds in the sky and an occasional sprinkle of rain. So, like I said, I am not going to complain about the weather. I could start in about the ridiculous cost of produce lately, but I think I’ll fulminate on that another day. I’m still in shock over the amount of money I spent at a local farmer’s market yesterday!

As always, peace and love to all.   

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 lg. garlic clove, finely grated (I use my microplane)  

½ tsp. dried oregano or 1 tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

4-5 crushed red pepper flakes, or more to taste

2 tsp. fresh lemon juice

4-5 thick lamb chops, all silver skin removed

4-5 thin lemon slices

Whisk the olive oil, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, and lemon juice together in a flat glass pan. (I use an 8-inch glass cake pan.) Add the lamb chops, flip so both sides are coated with marinade and let sit for 2-4 hours in the fridge.   

Heat a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Remove lamb chops from marinade. Add chops to skillet and cook each side for about 3 minutes to brown. Discard the marinade. Top each chop with a lemon slice.

Bake in a pre-heated 400-degree oven for 3-4 minutes or until chops register at least 140-degrees on an instant read thermometer. 

Remove from oven and transfer meat to dinner plates. (If you leave the chops in the hot pan, they will continue to cook, You don’t want that.) Let rest for 2-3 minutes before serving.

TZATZIKI

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 c. plain Greek Yogurt

1 med. garlic clove, finely minced or microplaned

½ tsp. dried dill weed

¼ tsp. kosher salt, or more to taste

freshly ground black pepper

1 English cucumber, partially peeled, seeded, grated, and wrung as dry as possible in paper towels.

Combine all ingredients. Adjust seasoning. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

HUMMUS

1 (15-oz.) can garbanzo beans, drained  

juice of 1 lemon, or more to taste

2 T. extra virgin olive oil, or more to taste and for drizzling

3-4 T. tahini  

2 cloves garlic, rough chopped

dash Sriracha or to taste

¼ tsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. paprika, plus more for sprinkling

In an electric blender or food processor, process the garbanzo beans (also known as chickpeas), lemon juice, olive oil, tahini, garlic, Sriracha, salt, and paprika until smooth and creamy. Add additional olive oil if consistency is not as creamy as desired. Add more lemon if not tangy enough. Add additional salt if required.   Eat immediately or refrigerate. (Hummus can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Return to room temperature before serving.)

Serve on a flat plate drizzled with additional olive oil and lightly sprinkled with paprika. And for special occasions, scatter a few kalamata olives on the plate as well. And of course, warm pita bread is always great with hummus.  

This is a simple variation on my Rack of Lamb with Kalamata-Rosemary Crust recipe. (My favorite rack of lamb recipe BTW.) But some days I don’t want to mess around in the kitchen as much as other days when I can hardly wait to start dinner. And I know, for those of you for whom cooking is the antithesis of a pleasurable way to spend your time, you must think I am bat (fill in the blank) crazy! But it’s true. There are days when I truly look forward to my time in the kitchen. But then there are the days I still want to serve up a delicious meal, but putting in the effort to do so, just doesn’t appeal at all! And the evening I served this recipe for rack of lamb just happened to be one of those times.

In truth, I had already prepared Mediterranean Quinoa Salad, which BTW is not only delicious but very easy to prepare.  But my flagging stamina that day had already been taxed. The last thing I wanted was to spend more than 20 minutes more in food prep. Being the rather resourceful person that I am, I brought out my standard recipe, the one mentioned above, and paired it down to the recipe you find below. And to my great delight, the meat was juicy and very well-seasoned. Which along with the salad made for a mighty fine meal.

So, if you too have those days when you would rather do almost anything besides cook, this is the perfect recipe for you. Quick, easy, and delicious.

And lest you think that I am losing my love of all things culinary, fear not. I still love my kitchen and producing different dishes at a prodigious rate. I’m just getting older, and what used to take me an hour, can now take me two or even three hours. But I’m still in the game. Fearless, searching for new and different recipes with which to thrill and delight you, and always up for a challenge. It’s just that now I am no longer the hare, I’m the tortoise!  

Peace and love to all.  

1 garlic clove, finely minced

1 tsp. Dijon mustard  

½ tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves

2 tsp. finely chopped shallot

¼ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

2 tsp. extra virgin olive oil

4 pitted kalamata olive, minced 

1 (8-rib) frenched rack of lamb, silver skin removed

lemon wedges, for serving

Mix the garlic, Dijon mustard, rosemary, shallot, salt, pepper, olive oil, and kalamata olives together. 

Place the rack of lamb, meaty side up on a small, rimmed aluminum foil covered baking sheet. Coat the top of the meat with the garlic mixture and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.

Roast the lamb in a pre-heated 450-degree oven for 20 minutes for medium-rare, or until a thermometer inserted in the center reads 120 to 125-degrees. 

Remove from oven, tent with foil, and let rest at least 10 minutes before carving into chops.

Serve with lemon wedges.

Now, I know what you all are thinking. Everyone knows that rosemary and garlic are very complimentary to the flavor of lamb. Yah, yah, yah – I get that. But, having known about this myself for years, and having prepared many a marinade for lamb using these lovely ingredients, I had never before, until the other evening, made a marinade as easy to prepare or that had afforded such delicious results.

The chops had just the right amount of background rosemary and garlic essence, which in no way masked the beautiful flavor of the meat itself. And I found that just two hours of “marinating” the chops at room temperature was the perfect amount of time.   

I guess I should mention that technically the lamb is really slathered rather than marinated. But Grilled Rosemary and Garlic “Slathered” Lamb Chops as a name for this dish didn’t really sound very appetizing. So, I acquiesced to a more normal name, but only for marketing purposes. (Like I have any sponsors to answer to or even if I did, would give a flying fig what I called a dish!) Anyway, “marinated” it became and “marinated” it will remain.

And really, the only things you need to know about this recipe, regardless of what it is called, is that the results are delicious. And like I already stated, the marinade is terribly easy to prepare, and the chops, when not over cooked, are delicious.

Now for those of you who like your meat well done, please find another recipe. I say that with only your time and money as the upper most consideration. Because, if you like well-done meat, why bother buying lamb chops in the first place. They’re expensive and if you’re going to murder the meat anyway – go buy a cheap cut of beef, cook it until it resembles the hide of the animal it came from, and drown it in A-1 sauce. Dinners on the table!

OK, I got a little carried away there, but seriously, any cut of lamb is best when on the rare side of medium-rare. And you truly are wasting your money if you cook lamb, or any other really expensive cut of meat, to death. You are much better off making a lovely pot roast with a chuck roast, for example. Money saved and the outcome for a delicious meal, much higher.

So, as always, have fun in your kitchen. Prepare meals that not only you will enjoy, but everyone at table will find pleasing. And remember, food doesn’t have to be fancy to be delicious. Some of my favorites, like meatloaf, chili, beef stew, and spaghetti and meat balls are hardly what I would consider “fancy foods”. But there is nothing I like better. And if you feel like chili in August, build a batch. There is no Emily Post to tell you that chili should only be served in the winter. There are, of course, seasonal ingredients. But to my thinking, there is no such thing as a seasonal food. Whatever sounds good to you, you are much more likely to build. And your family and friends will always come along for the ride. So, chili in summer and chop salad in winter – make it happen!

Peace and love to all.

2 cloves garlic, minced

1½ tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary 

½ tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp. lemon zest

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

4 lamb chops, thick cut

Combine the garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and olive oil in a medium sized covered container. Add the lamb chops and turn them in the marinade so that all of the surface of the meat has been introduced to the marinade. Cover and place on your counter for a couple of hours, or if marinating longer, say overnight, place in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before grilling.   

Grill the lamb chops on medium heat for 6-9 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads no more than 125-degrees. (For medium rare.)

Remove from grill, tent with aluminum foil, and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

When my children were young, leg of lamb was a rare treat. And they loved it. They would actually argue over who got to gnaw on the bone. Seriously! But lamb has never been an inexpensive protein. And even now, when it’s just the two of us, I think twice before plopping a package in my cart. I do it of course, but because neither legs or racks are available at our local grocery stores, we have to go out of our way to make a purchase. The good news, however, is that our very own IGA right here on Camano Island carries ground lamb in the frozen foods section. So, we can at least get our lamb fix that way. (And believe me, we do!) As a side note and before I go any further, let me recommend ground lamb as a wonderful change from simple ground beef patties. I add a bit of finely chopped onion and a scant tablespoon of Montreal Steak Seasoning to a pound of ground lamb, then fry the patties in a bit of olive oil. Absolutely delicious. And a slightly less expensive way to enjoy this tasty meat. But back to this post.

Yesterday I decided to do a little research before roasting the bone-in leg of lamb in my usual manner. Since I had been using the same method for about 50 years, I decided it might be nice to change things up a bit. So, I went on-line and found this recipe on the damndelicious.net site. It immediately took my fancy because it had all the ingredients I love to use with lamb. So, I changed a couple of ingredient amounts that I felt would better suit our tastes and proceeded from there. And I must say, the lamb was perfectly seasoned. And done to perfection. It could not have been tastier.

So, if you too love lamb, I suggest you give this recipe a try next time you get a hankering for a bone-in leg of lamb. If, however, you prefer boneless leg of lamb, let me recommend my Stuffed Boneless Leg of Lamb recipe.  It is truly sensational. But regardless, if you roast a bone-in or a bone-out leg, leftovers will be perfect for Lamb Ragù with Penne Pasta or Palócleves (Hungarian Lamb Soup with Sour Cream). So many choices, so little time! Oh, and if you want to know my original recipe for leg of lamb, it’s very simple. Make plenty of deep cuts into the meat and stuff them with slivers of garlic. Then slather the whole roast with extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle with kosher salt and lots of freshly ground black pepper. Then roast to desired doneness. (Still a really good way to roast lamb.)

Well, that’s about all for today. It’s Friday here on Camano Island and I feel like taking it easy. The heroin in the book I am currently reading is missing, after losing both her lover/best friend/life companion and her beloved dog on the same day 6 months prior. I simply can’t stand the suspense! I must get back and help the good folks (and hopefully not the bad guys) ferret out her location. And help her, if possible. (Perhaps I’ve been living a little too vicariously through the eyes of the characters in the books I’ve been reading. Perhaps I’ve been confined to quarters too long and need to get back into the real world again. Perhaps I’m feeling just like everyone else who is sick and tired of covid-19 and just wants it to GO AWAY! Perhaps!!)

But as always, peace and love to all.

3-4 lb. bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed of all fat

2 T. extra virgin olive oil

2 tsp. Dijon mustard

1 tsp. kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper (quite a bit)

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1½ tsp. chopped fresh rosemary

1½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme leaves

Dry the leg of lamb with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, score* the top side of the lamb by making shallow cuts all over. (Think scoring a ham.)

In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, garlic, rosemary, and thyme together.

Place the lamb on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Slather the olive oil mixture all over the lamb, rubbing it thoroughly into the scored cuts. Pour water into the pan about ½-inch deep. (This prevents drippings from spattering all over the inside of your oven as the lamb roasts. If you don’t care, or you have a housekeeper who cleans your oven, just line the pan with aluminum foil and forget the water.)

Roast in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for about 60-75 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 135-140 degrees for medium-rare. Roast longer if you must, but don’t blame me if the meat resembles shoe leather! Remember: The instant-read thermometer should be inserted into the thickest part of the meat and not touching any bone.

When done, remove from oven and let rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

Perfect served with Mushroom Risotto with Green Onions and Peas. (Recipe coming soon to your very own computer.)  

*Starting from one end close to the bottom, cut about ⅓ of an inch into the meat in a line. Repeat making lines 1″ apart. Turn the lamb and repeat diagonally from one side to the other.