Best 5 Chef John Lamb Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S GRILLED LAMB WITH MINT ORANGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Place lamb chops in a large bowl. Season with olive oil, garlic, cumin, mixed herbs, pepper, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, and salt. Toss until well coated with oil and seasonings. Cover and refrigerate. Allow to marinate at least 4 hours.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat and lightly oil the grate. Place lamb chops on grill. Sprinkle the chops with a bit of salt. Grill until seared on the first side, 4 to 7 minutes depending on the size of the chops. Rotate chops a half turn on the grill about a minute before turning them. Turn and grill the other side to desired doneness, another 4 to 7 minutes. For medium rare, an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should bead 125 to 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Transfer to a serving dish and tent loosely with foil.
• Place marmalade in bowl. Add chili flakes, mint, and rice vinegar. Stir together thoroughly.
• Brush the sauce over the chops and serve.

CHEF JOHN'S ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Stir 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses, garlic, rosemary, kosher salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, mint, and cumin together in a bowl.
• Arrange the butterflied leg of lamb onto a work surface with the fatty side facing down. Cut 2 deep slashes in each of the the fleshy ends of the meat. Flip the lamb and cut 10 to 20 shallow slashes across the surface of the fat.
• Spread 3/4 the pomegranate molasses mixture onto the meat-side of the lamb to coat completely. Fold meat together and turn into a large bowl. Spread remaining pomegranate mixture over the fatty side of the meat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a roasting rack in the bottom of a roasting pan.
• Remove lamb from marinade and discard excess marinade. Gather roast and place onto a work surface with fatty side facing upwards. Tie the center section of the roast with kitchen twine to cinch the roast together. Repeat ties four times along the length of the roast.
• Season roast with salt and transfer to prepared roasting pan. Pour water below the rack to cover the bottom of the pan.
• Roast in the preheated oven until hot and slightly pink in the center, about 1 3/4 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). Rest for 15 minutes, transfer to a plate, and brush with remaining pomegranate molasses.

CHEF JOHN'S GRILLED LAMB STEAKS

Steps:

• Whisk tarragon, 1/2 bunch mint, yogurt, 1 tablespoon olive oil, garlic, cumin, and 1 teaspoon black pepper together in a bowl; pour marinade into a resealable plastic bag. Add lamb steaks, coat with marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator, 8 hours to overnight.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil the grate.
• Whisk 1/4 cup olive oil, sherry vinegar, honey, salt, and pepper together in a bowl. Add 2 tablespoons chopped mint and stir to combine vinaigrette.
• Remove steaks from marinade and scrape off all herbs and garlic; discard marinade. Drizzle steaks with 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Cook steaks on the preheated grill until browned on the outside and slightly pink in the center, about 6 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Transfer steaks to a plate, drizzle 1/2 of the vinaigrette over the steaks, cover the steaks with foil, and let rest for 10 minutes. Transfer steaks to individual plates and drizzle remaining vinaigrette over each.

CHEF JOHN'S BRAISED LAMB SHANKS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Generously season lamb shanks with salt and black pepper.
• Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place lamb shanks in the Dutch oven, cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer shanks to a plate. Drain off remaining oil and fat so only 1 tablespoon remains in the Dutch oven.
• Stir onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt into the Dutch oven; decrease heat to medium-low and cook, stirring, until onions are softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, chipotle chile powder, ancho chile powder, and ground cinnamon; stir to combine.
• Pour 1 cup chicken broth over onion mixture. Increase heat to high; when liquid boils, place lamb shanks in Dutch oven. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 90 minutes.
• Remove Dutch oven and stir in jalapeno pepper, red bell pepper and 1/2 cup chicken stock; bring to a boil on the stovetop. Return pan to the oven and cook, uncovered, until lamb shanks are fork tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer lamb to plate.
• Place Dutch oven on the stovetop over high heat; bring liquid to a boil and cook, skimming off any foam, until liquid is reduced and thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro; season with salt and pepper to taste. Spoon sauce over lamb shanks and serve.

CHEF JOHN'S LAMB MOUSSAKA BURGER

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir diced onion with 1 teaspoon salt until onion is slightly translucent, about 5 minutes. Add eggplant, reduce heat to medium, and cook and stir until eggplant is opaque and softened, 3 to 5 minutes more.
• Stir garlic, 1 teaspoon black pepper, cumin, cinnamon, and oregano into eggplant mixture; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste; cook and stir until heated through, about 2 minutes. Transfer mixture to a plate and cool completely. Cover plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled, at least 15 minutes.
• Whisk 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil and flour together in a saucepan over medium-high heat until golden and bubbling, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour milk into butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly as it simmers and forms a smooth, thick sauce, 3 to 5 minutes. Season with nutmeg, a pinch black pepper, and a pinch cayenne pepper. Remove from heat and stir Parmesan cheese into milk mixture until melted.
• Combine lamb, chilled eggplant mixture, and a pinch of salt together in a bowl. Form into four patties and place on a plate. Cover the plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate until just before cooking.
• Place tomato slices in a shallow bowl. Season tomatoes with chopped mint, a pinch of salt, and a pinch of black pepper. Pour rice vinegar over the top and toss to coat.
• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook burgers until slightly pink in the center, about 4 minutes per side. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C) for medium.
• Spread desired amount of cheese sauce onto both sides of each hamburger bun. Place burger on bottom bun, place 2 tomato slices atop the burger, and place top half of the bun over the tomatoes.