Grilled / Roasted Rack of Lambwith sundried tomato pesto
Rack of lamb may feel 'fancy,' but it's also a really easy-to-prepare protein. Whether you're enjoying lamb or grilled portobello mushrooms for our veggie version, both are going to be great topped with our already-made pesto from last night.
Smarts: If rack of lamb is out of your budget, go for another type of red meat like a sirloin or strip steak. We get ours vacuum-packed at Costco and it's about $15 / rack.
Ingredients
- Beets - 2
- Dijon mustard - 2 tsp
- Balsamic vinegar - 2 Tbsp
- Olive oil - 1/4 cup
- Leftover farro - 1 to 1 1/2 cups
- Mixed greens - 6 oz
- Walnuts - 1/2 cup, crushed
- Goat cheese - 2 oz, crumbled
- Rack of lamb - 1 1/2 racks, French and trimmed ((Or go ahead and just do 2 if that's how the packages come. Each person will get 3 to 4 chops.))
- Leftover sundried tomato pesto - ~1/4 cup
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Beets - Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Trim off ends, place into a baking pan, and fill with about ½” (1.25 cm) of water. Cover with foil and roast for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on size of beets. Once they’re cool enough to handle, peel off skin with the side of a spoon and chop into bite-sized pieces. You can also do the same thing on a grill - just don’t use a glass baker - or boil them in water for 30 to 45 minutes until they can be easily pierced with a knife. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Rack of lamb - Slice every other chop. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be done up to 1 day ahead)
Make
- If making lamb in oven: (Watch this video) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add cooking oil (not listed in ingredients) and then lamb to heated oil. Sear on each side for 3 minutes and then transfer to oven, cooking for another 6 to 10 minutes in the oven, at the lower range for rare, high range for more well-done.
- If making lamb on grill: Preheat grill to 450F (232C) degrees, keeping two-zones of heat - one part on higher heat and another part on lower heat. Clean grates and add lamb over direct heat. Sear on both sides for 2 to 3 minutes and then move to lower heat. Close grill cover and cook until 130 degrees for med-rare (2 to 3 minutes), 140F (60C) degrees for medium (4 to 6 min), and 150F (66C) degrees for well-done (6 to 8 min). Remove from grill when done and let rest.
- While lamb is cooking, whisk together Dijon, balsamic, and olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Toss beets, farro, and mixed greens in dressing and garnish with walnuts and goat cheese, if using.
- After you’ve given lamb a chance to rest for ~5 minutes, slice each chop duo in half. Enjoy topped with pesto and with salad on the side.
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Reviews
This meal has 8 reviews
Not an every day meal for sure but blame came out super tasty even though I forgot the pesto until halfway through the meal. I've never been a big beet person, but I've made this beet salad on several occasions because it was so good!
I used a different lamb recipe as I wasn't a huge fan of the pesto. But the salad was awesome!
Might be my new favorite Cooksmarts meal! The lamb was wonderful and the video on how to prep, cut and grill it was great. We had never tried beets before and we loved them! This isn't a make-every-week meal but this will definitely be one that we make on special occasions!
It was a bit pricey for a week night meal.
This meal was perfect. It was my first time making lamb and it came out SO tender and juicy. It's way too expensive for us to eat regularly, but it is perfect for a special occasion. The salad was awesome, I am planning on making it regularly for lunch. A home run.
I loved everything about this meal.