The perfect rack of lamb with pistachio crust and herbs

What better way to celebrate the spring season than with a delicious rack of lamb with pistachio crust. It’s the perfect dish for a special occasion and with this easy recipe you can make this at home too.

Rack of lamb with pistachio crust

One of my favorite recipes here on the site is the lamb shoulder which needs a few hours to cook properly, but this time I wanted to make something different with a beautiful piece of lamb. I chose to use racks of lamb and added a delicious crispy pistachio crust to it.

The advantage of making a whole rack of lamb in comparison to lamb chops is that it is easier to control the temperature and make sure the lamb is beautiful and blushing pink on the inside. The risk with separate lamb chops is that you cook it too far and you’ll end up with overcooked lamb. Nothing worse than that!

This recipe assumes you have purchased a frenched rack of lamb. Obviously you can do that yourself but it is also easier to ask your butcher. 

What is frenching a rack of lamb?

If you “french’ your rack of lamb it simply means that you clean the top rib bones of the lamb to make it look more neat. It’s not a necessity in terms of flavor but it does make it look a whole lot better. If you want to know how to do this yourself check this post where it guides you through the process step by step.

I have done it myself once but doing this properly requires skills and time. And I just prefer to ask the butcher for a frenched piece. Makes live so much easier.

Preparing the pistachio crust

Now once you have cleaned the lamb the next step is to make the pistachio crust.  You first melt about 30 grams of butter in a small saucepan. Once melted move to a small bowl. You chop the pistachios, parsley, thyme and anchovies together (can easily be done in a food processor too) and add the panko (Japanese bread crumbs). Mix it together.

Now take a large skillet and season the lamb with salt and black pepper. Melt the remaining butter with a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan on medium-high heat and brown the rack of lamb on all sides until golden brown. Take out of the pan and place on a cutting board. 

Brush all sides of the lamb with fine mustard. Dijon mustard gives it a nice kick, but you can use other smooth mustard as well. Now add the pistachio mixture to the lamb. You only spread it on the curved top part of the lamb rack. Check the photos to see how that looks.

If you have an ovenproof skillet that is also an option 

Use a meat thermometer

Essential for cooking a large piece of meat is using an instant-read thermometer. That will ensures that it cooks to your liking. For this rack of lamb recipe you want the lamb to have an internal temperature of 52˚C (or 125˚F) for a beautiful pink lamb.

Place the thermometer in the thickest part of the meat and place the lamb in a baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 20-30 minutes or until the desired temperature is reached.  Take the lamb out of the oven and let it rest for a couple of minutes before slicing into individual chops. 

What to serve with rack of lamb

Now of course having just some delicious rack of lamb doesn’t make a meal. So what can you serve with rack of lamb? Since the oven is already one I like to take advantage of this and add some roasted potatoes to this lamb recipe. To change things up a bit I made crushed potatoes, which is even better than regular baked potatoes as you get extra crispy bits. And everyone knows that it’s the crispy bits that count right? For this to work you cook the potatoes (skin on or off is your choice, but I like to do this with skin on) until just tender but not too soft. Take out of the water, drain and then add them to a baking sheet. Place a large pan on top to flatten the potatoes. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper and roast in the oven for about 40 minutes.

Of course serving the rack of lamb with either regular roasted potatoes, potato puree or french fries is also a great option. if you’re not a fan of potatoes; it would work well with Israeli couscous too. 

In addition to the potatoes a classic combination with lamb is to serve it with green asparagus and green peas as I did here. The green vegetables look great together with the roasted lamb and taste even better. In terms of herbs; it is delicious to serve the roasted rack of lamb with a fresh mint sauce or add some mint to the vegetables. Fresh dill is also a great addition. Another good option is to add roasted vegetables. That can be anything from roasted pumpkin, butternut squash to sweet potatoes, celeriac or parsnip. If you’re serving the rack of lamb with root vegetables it is nice to add a green salad as well.