What's on the Grill #102
Thanksgiving Edition: Grilled Rack of Lamb with Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette! I am little late with this, so my apologizes. We had a wee bit of a medical scare with my Mom this week and it has kind of thrown everything through a loop.
Originally, Zoë and I were planning on spending Thanksgiving alone. Since we were only feeding two...or really one and a half with the way she eats...no scratch that, two. I easily eat for one and half people...anyway, since we were not doing the whole meal thing, Zoë suggested lamb. I love lamb and never turn it down. So, when things changed and Mom decided she wanted to spend the week sucking on ice cubes and eating soup in the hospital, we easily made room for Dad.
This is a meal we have made before and it always pleases. It finds its way from the "brown" Weber book
For the lamb, I have had great success at Sam's. Granted it is probably Sam's "mutant lamb", but it has always tasted good, it has always been priced right, and it comes frenched. The recipe is fast and straightforward.
Rack of Lamb w/Roasted Shallot Vinaigrette
Pulled shamelessly from Weber's Real Grilling, page 121
1 large shallot, unpeeled
1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 racks of lamb
2 tablespoons finely chopped thyme
salt and pepper
1. For the vinaigrette, brush the outside with oil. Remember, it should still have the skin on. Grill it over direct medium until is is blackened and soft. It takes about 15 minutes and you can turn it over once, half way through. Once done, remove and allow to cool.
2. Once cool, remove the skin and finely chop. Place the shallot in a bowl, along with the balsamic vinegar, mustard, thyme, salt and pepper. Add in the olive oil and whisk to create a smooth dressing.
3. As usual, yank the lamb from the fridge and allow to stand at room temperature for about 20-30 minutes before grilling. Lightly brush the lamb with olive oil and then season with the thyme, salt, and pepper.
4. Take some aluminum foil and cover the bones. This will prevent the bones from burning and your meal looking like it was the victim in a ChiP's auto accident.
5. Sear bone side down first over direct medium heat until lightly browned, about 2 -4 minutes. Turn over once, half way through. Move to indirect medium and cook until done. Medium rare is about 15 minutes more. In my opinion, lamb is really good medium rare and goes down hill from there. Let the lamb rest about 5 minutes after taking it off the grill. Cut and serve with the vinaigrette immediately.
The lamb was served with asparagus and a sweet potato soufflé Zoë found online. We all ate well.
Although Thanksgiving didn't quite go as planned, the meal turned out great and Mom is home and doing fabulous.