Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler

Kudos to Mark Bittman, cookbook author and writer of The Minimalist cooking column in the New York Times, for his article "Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler" in today's paper. For anyone who hasn't read The Omnivore's Dilemma, it's a real eye-opener about the environmental impact of raising meat for consumption. He suggests that we not only eat less meat, but buy more environmentally friendly meat from organic and local farms. In my house, our red meat consumption is down to about once a week, which makes it a treat for sure. Tonight's treat was Mt. Gramble Australian free range, grass fed, no hormone, never confined Frenched rack of lamb from Trader Joe's. Everyone got 2 chops, which is plenty in my mind, but if you're having men for dinner allow three to four chops each.

Herb Crusted Australian Free Range Frenched Rack of Lamb

The key to success is to not overcook the rack; it should be cooked to rare or medium only.

Makes 4 servings of 2 chops each

Ingredients:

• 1 fresh Australian Free Range Frenched Rack of Lamb from Trader Joe’s
• 1 slice Trader Joe’s whole wheat bread
• 1 teaspoon chopped Trader Joe’s fresh rosemary
• 1 ½ teaspoons chopped Trader Joe’s fresh thyme
• 2 cloves Trader Joe’s garlic, chopped fine
• Salt and pepper
• 1 jar Trader Joe’s apple cranberry chutney

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Remove any excess fat from the rack using a sharp thin knife. The crust will keep it moist.
3. Coat the meat lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
4. Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat and turn on the exhaust fan.
5. In a food processor, process the slice of bread until it’s crumbled. Add the rosemary, thyme, and garlic and process for 30 seconds. Add 1-2 teaspoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Process 15 seconds to incorporate.
6. When skillet is smoking, sear rack on top and rounded side until browned, about 4-6 minutes.
7. Remove rack from skillet and place on cutting board. Remove skillet from heat. Using a spoon or pastry brush, smooth mustard all over meat portion of rack. Pat on herb and bread crumb mixture.
8. Using tongs, return rack to skillet and place in oven for 15 minutes. Check temperature with an instant read thermometer and remove from oven when it registers 130-140 for rare to medium rare. When done, set on cutting board and cover with aluminum foil and let rest 10 minutes while you prepare a vegetable.
9. Slice in between bones being careful not to loosen the crust. Serve 2 chops per person with a heaping teaspoon of cranberry chutney.