A beautiful herb crusted rack of lamb is coated with a fresh rosemary-garlic mixture and topped with a delicious mint pea pesto after a quick turn on the grill.
This post was created in partnership with True Aussie Beef & Lamb and Big Green Egg in exchange for free product. As always, all thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you for continuing to support the brands that make CaliGirl Cooking possible!
I sure hope you’re ready for more MEAT! Because this Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Mint Pea Pesto is one for the books and I need you to make it ASAP.
First, important question: How do you feel about lamb? Do you love it? Hate it? Haven’t tried it? I never knew until recently how uncommon lamb as a meat option is in the greater United States. I mean, I grew up in California, with a fairly progressive upbringing food-wise, but I was recently pretty surprised when I was at a luncheon (not in California) that served lamb as the main dish and soooo many people at my table had either never tried it or just not grown up eating it.
Man, have they all been missing out! I was already a big fan of lamb before my partnership with True Aussie Beef & Lamb, but I have to say I became even more so (and converted a few non-lamb eaters) after I tasted the product I was sent. Seriously, guys, #TrueAussieLamb is LEGIT and I’ve made the most delicious Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Mint Pea Pesto to showcase it.
This is my second post partnering with True Aussie Beef & Lamb and our friends at Big Green Egg to help you #ownyourparty this summer, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. You can see my ranting and raving about BOTH companies’ amazing products in the first recipe I created for this partnership, Island Style Teriyaki Beef Sliders (which you should also be making ASAP.)
But really, I kept waiting for one of the meats that True Aussie Beef & Lamb sent me to be #average, and I’m happy to report that was most definitely never the case. Every time we bit into a new recipe I created featuring their beef or lamb, we were groaning with delight about how tender and decadently flavorful the meat was. If you haven’t tried their stuff yet, you’re definitely missing out.
Okay, and the Big Green Egg. I’m giving that a much deserved shout-out as well because it is so. much. fun. To be honest, I know the basics of grilling, but the hubs takes care of most of the outdoor cooking in our household. When our Big Green Egg was delivered, I was determined to learn how to use it so I could take all the credit for these tasty dishes I was creating. I’m happy to say that, aside from pouring the charcoal in and lighting the fire (because, yo, preggo lady over here) I was able to learn exactly what needed to let these cuts of meat shine in all their glory.
So let’s get into it and talk about this Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Mint Pea Pesto, shall we? As I mentioned before, I was raised eating a fair amount of lamb, and it’s one of my favorite meats to cook. I’d put it in the red meat category, but it tends to have a much more grassy, herbal flavor than your AVERAGE beef (important to note that, because #TrueAussieBeef is definitely not average.) Because of this, you really don’t need to do much to it when cooking, however there are a few ingredients that pair fabulously with it.
Can you guess what those might be? You got it! Fresh herbs (especially rosemary,) mint and peas!!
Here’s the 4-1-1 for this recipe that involves allll of these perfect flavors:
We start out by massaging our rack of lamb with a simple yet tasty blend of fresh garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and a bit of olive oil to make it all stick. Throw that beautiful piece of herb crusted lamb on your Big Green Egg (yes, one could be yours, see below!) and give it a nice sear. It doesn’t take much, our rack of lamb is delicate and tastes so much better when there is still a little bit of pink in the center of the meat.
Meanwhile (or even before you get to cooking the lamb,) you’ll want to whip up the creamy, fresh Mint Pea Pesto that will grace the top of each “lamb pop” you serve. It’s a fairly typical pesto, but with equal parts fresh mint and peas as the base rather than basil. This gives the lamb a truly Mediterranean feel, and adds a beautiful pop of bright green color to the plate. It’s also important to note that you’ll likely have some leftover pesto after the lamb is served, so be sure to have some crusty bread on hand for dipping or save it for a last-minute pasta dinner later in the week.
That’s it for the recipe, now let me tell you about this giveaway. If you didn’t catch it in last week’s post, True Aussie Beef & Lamb and Big Green Egg are hosting a “Greater Outdoors” promotion where they are gifting one lucky reader their very own Big Green Egg! Seriously, you don’t want to miss out on this opportunity. The Egg is amazzzzing!! Simply click here to enter before the giveaway ends on August 1.
We’re still babymooning in Kauai, but heading back tomorrow and then taking a quick trip to Napa before we head home to Santa Barbara, so thank you for your patience and understanding with my slow-down of content I have been posting so I can really enjoy my trip. I look forward to getting back into a regular schedule with you all when we get back! Xx
Herb Crusted Rack of Lamb with Mint Pea Pesto
Ingredients
For the lamb:
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 5 cloves)
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 3-5 pounds rack of lamb
For the pesto:
- 1 cup fresh mint
- 1 cup fresh cooked peas
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
- 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- Juice of 1/2 a lemon
- 1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat your grill to high heat. If using the Big Green Egg, you’ll want it to read a temperature of 500 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Next, prepare the herb rub for the rack of lamb. Combine garlic, rosemary, salt, pepper and olive oil in a small bowl, then rub onto both sides of the lamb rack.
- Once the grill or Big Green Egg is heated properly, add the lamb and cook for 7-8 minutes each side, or until internal temperature reaches between 120 and 125 degrees Fahrenheit (for medium-rare.) Remove the lamb and let rest in a warm place for about 10 minutes before cutting and serving.
- You can make the Mint Pea Pesto prior to grilling the lamb or while the lamb is resting. Combine all pesto ingredients except the olive oil, salt and pepper in a food processor. Pulse until all ingredients come together to form a rough spread, then slowly stream in the olive oil. Finally, add salt and pepper to taste.
- Once lamb has rested and pesto is prepared, cut the lamb into chops and top each top with a heavy dollop of pesto. Reserve extra pesto for crusty bread or save for a future quick and easy pasta dinner!
Nutrition
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