24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (2024)

When you think about lamb, you might picture a traditional roasted rack or leg, served with mint jelly. Why stop there? These delicious lamb recipes include garlic-crusted roast rack of lamb and spicy lamb meatballs with green goddess sauce, as well as yogurt-marinated kebabs and a luscious Rogan Josh.

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Red Wine-Braised Lamb Shanks

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (1)

Chef Jeremy Silansky uses maple syrup, Vermont's most famous export, to glaze root vegetables, employing a novel (and simple) technique: He reduces the maple glaze in a small skillet, then tosses it with the roasted vegetables right before serving. He likes to serve the lamb shanks with creamy polenta made from local cornmeal and nutty cheese.

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Crispy Grilled Lamb Pitas with Radish-Watercress Salad

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (2)

The robust, fatty lamb here needs a fresh, zippy counterpoint, so it's served with a salad featuring three types of radishes: watermelon radishes, green daikon, and cherry radishes. This trio gets tangled in a pile of also-peppery watercress and dressed with the simplest combo of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

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Garlic-Crusted Roast Rack of Lamb

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (3)

Wine aficionado Kenny Rochford's favorite way to prepare a rack of lamb is to simply rub it with plenty of garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and salt before roasting.

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Grilled Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (4)

Instead of butterflying a boned leg of lamb and cooking it whole, cookbook author Cal Peternell carefully cuts along the four natural muscle separations (they're easily visible) and pulls the four pieces apart with his fingers. Grilling the lamb this way is quicker, makes it easier to determine doneness, and simplifies carving. Plus the meat develops a mellow flavor and lots of delicious crust.

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Yogurt-Marinated Lamb Kebabs with Lemon Butter

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (5)

At Shahpura Bagh, a luxurious guesthouse in the Rajasthani countryside, chefs marinate lamb in yogurt to make it exceptionally tender, then give it an extra burst of tangy flavor with a basting of lemon butter just before serving.

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Rosemary-Garlic Lamb Chops with Pimentón and Mint

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (6)

Chef Nancy Silverton adores the grilled, herb-flecked lamb chops scottadito ("burnt fingers"). Here, she adds a kick to the lamb by garnishing it with smoky pimentón de la Vera and little mint leaves.

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Braised Lamb Neck with Turnip

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (7)

Lamb necks, an underappreciated cut, are fantastic when braised, such as in this homey stew from chef Tony Maws. The meat gets succulent and tender as it cooks in the slightly sweet braising liquid flavored with white wine and fresh herbs, while the neck bones, in turn, intensify and flavor the broth.

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Lamb Biryani

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (8)

If there is an Indian dish that signifies celebration, it’s dum-style biryani. “It’s like shepherd’s pie but way sexier,” says chef Cheetie Kumar. Afterit's baked, give the biryani pride of place on the table before you break through the flaky browned paratha crust to reveal the rice and lamb inside. The rising steam carries with it the aromas of toasted cardamom, cumin, saffron, and Kashmiri chile powder.

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Braised Lamb with Herb-Scented Jus

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (9)

This tender braised leg of lamb makes for an excellent dinner party dish. Chef David Mawhinney likes to sandwich any extra meat and meat juices with pickled vegetables and focaccia for lunch.

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Rack of Lamb with Rosemary Butter

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (10)

Chef David Kinch grills his lamb racks low and slow because it gives him full control of the cooking. The gentle heat keeps the meat juicy, while the rosemary-infused butter he periodically spoons over the racks adds flavor. He sprinkles the lamb with chopped herbs just before serving; the warm meat makes the herbs especially fragrant.

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Lamb and Butternut Squash Tagine with Apricots

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (11)

A tagine is both a type of North African cookware and the stew cooked in it. Here, savory lamb, salty olives, and the warm spices in ras el hanout are balanced by sweet butternut squash, apricots, and a touch of honey.

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Zinfandel-Braised Lamb Chops with Dried Fruit

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (12)

A jammy Zinfandel and dried fruit lend a ton of flavor to lamb-shoulder chops. Serve the dish with steamed Israeli couscous.

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Pappardelle with Lamb Ragù

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (13)

This easy version of chef Andrew Carmellini's wonderful pasta sauce uses store-bought pappardelle, ground lamb, and chicken stock, topped with fresh ricotta and mint.

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Lamb Rogan Josh

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (14)

Chef Vikram Sunderam relies on plenty of spices, like cardamom, cloves, and cumin, to flavor this succulent lamb stew (the name translates roughly into "red lamb"). We've simplified the spice blend here by employing Madras curry powder.

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Spicy Sichuan-Style Lamb with Cumin

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (15)

Cooking pieces of lamb shoulder in a super-hot cast-iron skillet makes them wonderfully browned and tender. Serve with rice and, optionally, an aromatic, concentrated Syrah.

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Double-Cut Lamb Chops with Garlic-Caper Rub

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (16)

Garlic and capers add a layer of briney umami to the naturally sweet lamb, and reverse searing ensures that the temperature of these chops is exactly right.

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Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Green Goddess Sauce

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (17)

Cooking lamb for a crowd? These merguez-inspired meatballs make a great appetizer, particularly with a cooling, creamy green goddess dip.

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Banana Leaf-Wrapped Lamb Shank Tamales with Morita Chile Salsa

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (18)

Another excellent use for lamb? These tamales, which event producer Paola Briseño González makes for holiday gatherings, have a dense, custard-like texture thanks to the banana leaf wrappers, and are stuffed with unctuous, rich lamb.

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Rosé-Marinated Grilled Leg of Lamb with Walnut Salsa Fresca

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (19)

Studding a leg of lamb with anchovies adds savory depth to this beautiful cut of meat flavored with a garlicky, herbal rosé-based marinade. The flavors in the walnut salsa fresca served alongside mirror those of the marinade, bringing a final dose of richness and flavor to this standout dish.

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Leg of Lamb Cooked Over New Potatoes with Spicy Mint-Rum Sauce

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (20)

Dried lavender and fresh thyme lend floral, woodsy flavor to garlic cloves in a simple paste that seasons the lamb and helps the dried spice crust stick to the meat. The mint sauce — made by cooking mint jelly in a skillet with a splash of rum and jalapeño — will appear very thin when hot but thickens to a glaze as it cools.

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Lamb, Sweet Potato, and Coconut Mafé Curry

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (21)

Perfectly tender lamb shoulder and creamy sweet potatoes balanced by floral coriander, warming turmeric and cumin, and piquant ginger and ground mustard make this West African curry a cozy delight. Fonio is a tiny grain that packs a nutritional punch and provides the perfect base for soaking up the flavorful curry sauce.

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Grilled Lamb Chops with Herby Yogurt Sauce

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This simple sauce — a blend of yogurt, shallots, salt, and lemon — is an ideal match for lamb's richness; it functions as both a marinade and a finishing sauce here. Serve the lamb with a quick salad of couscous and cucumbers for a complete meal.

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Roasted Eggplant Moussaka with Lamb

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (23)

Roasting eggplant until it's creamy and custardy makes it the perfect base for layering with a rich, meaty sauce in this take on moussaka, which is topped with a luscious layer of ricotta and mozzarella cheese in place of béchamel sauce.

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Lamb Barbacoa with Masala Adobo

24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (24)

For this dish, chefs Saqib Keval and Norma Listman of Masala y Maíz in Mexico City draw from Indian and Mexican cooking techniques for a one-of-a-kind flavor profile. Fenugreek seeds, available online or at specialty stores, add complexity and a light sweetness here.

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24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What cooking method is best for lamb? ›

The dry heat of roasting is best for tender cuts of lamb, like the leg, rack, and loin. If you'd like to roast a cut like a lamb shoulder, go for a long, slow roast. If you're cooking a bone-in leg, keep in mind that because of the thicker and thinner portions of the cut you'll get a range of doneness.

What is the most popular lamb dish? ›

Lamb chops

This is the most popular lamb dish that is loved by many people around the world. Lamb chops are delicious, tender pieces of meat that are usually grilled or pan-fried. They are often served with vegetables or potatoes.

Should lamb be cooked slow or fast? ›

Slow cooking in liquid transforms tougher cuts of lamb into fork-tender meat. Neck, shoulder and belly, either diced or as whole joints, are the best cuts for slow cooking and need to be cooked for at least 2 hrs at 150C to soften the meat.

What is the tastiest cut of lamb? ›

The loin produces the most flavorful and tender cuts of Lamb in our opinion, due to its generous and tasty fat cap. Lamb Loin is located in between the ribs and sirloin. Lamb Loin Chops look like miniature bone-in T-Bone steaks or Porterhouse, that are straightforward to grill or pan-fry.

Does lamb get more tender the longer you cook it? ›

The leg and rack of lamb are perfect for herb-crusting and oven-roasting; since the shank and shoulder are a bit tougher, they fare well in stews or braises—the long cook time allows them to significantly break down and become fork-tender.

What makes lamb taste better? ›

It's such a distinctive flavor that it pairs well with nice, strong spices, as well as herbs. Coriander, fennel, garlic, shallot, ginger, lemon peel --I think those work really nicely with lamb. There are other herbs that are traditionally paired with lamb, like mint.

Why is lamb not as popular as beef? ›

Because so few states in America initially raised sheep, the cost for lamb meat would be higher than other meats. This cost barrier prevented many Americans from even trying lamb meat. This initial barrier has made it difficult for lamb meat to gain popularity in the US.

What does Gordon Ramsay serve with lamb? ›

This simply prepared (it's rubbed in a paste of just Dijon mustard, garlic, and herbs) rack of lamb is best served with equally unfussy vegetable sides, like grilled asparagus or baby artichokes.

What pairs well with lamb? ›

8 light and simple sides to go with lamb
  • Dijon mustard glazed carrots. ...
  • Herby roasted Jersey Royals. ...
  • Zesty spring greens. ...
  • Roast baby leeks with oak-smoked bacon croutons. ...
  • Peas with pancetta. ...
  • Roast courgettes with lemon. ...
  • Roasted garlic and clementine carrots. ...
  • Roasted butternut squash with garlic and parsley.

Why is my lamb rubbery? ›

OVERCOOKING THE LAMB.

When the temperatures reach a certain point, that water starts to boil and eventually evaporates. The gelatin can keep the meat juicy and moist until a certain degree, but eventually, it will burst and leave your meat without any protection—the result: dry, chewy Lamb.

How not to cook lamb? ›

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Cooking a Leg of Lamb
  1. Not bringing the lamb to room temperature before cooking. ...
  2. Letting the meat marinate for too long. ...
  3. Skipping a meat thermometer and eyeballing doneness. ...
  4. Not resting the meat before slicing. ...
  5. Slicing the meat the wrong way.

How many hours do you cook lamb for? ›

Medium: About 25 minutes per pound or until internal temperature registers 135°F to 140°F. Well-Done: About 30 minutes per pound or until internal temperature registers 155°F to 165°F. Falling-Apart Tender Lamb: About 40 minutes per pound or until the internal temp registers 175°F. This can take about 6 hours or so.

What is a cheap cut of lamb called? ›

SHANK. Lamb shank is a super-simple, cheaper cut that goes a long way. Taken from the lower part of the back legs, there is a lot of collagen in the shank, which, when cooked slowly, gives the meat a lovely soft, melting texture, making this another cut that's perfect for stews and slow-cooking.

What is baby lamb meat called? ›

Mutton refers to the flesh of the mature ram or ewe at least one year old; the meat of sheep between 12 and 20 months old may be called yearling mutton. The meat of sheep 6 to 10 weeks old is usually sold as baby lamb, and spring lamb is from sheep of age five to six months. rack of lamb. Category: Animals & Nature.

Which lamb is more gamey? ›

BCFAs are also what give goat cheese its unique flavor. The amount of BCFAs in the animal's fat is dependent on its diet. Grass-fed lamb contains a higher concentration, and therefore New Zealand lamb has that gamier taste, while American grain-fed lamb tastes more "beefy" than gamey.

Is lamb better medium rare or well done? ›

If you prefer lamb that is tender and juicy, it is recommended to cook it to a medium-rare or medium level of doneness, with an internal temperature of 145-160°F (63-71°C). This will allow the lamb to retain its tenderness and flavor, while also ensuring that it is safe to eat.

Is lamb best medium rare? ›

In our experience, we found most lamb cuts, whether a rack of lamb or lamb loin chops, taste best when served medium rare. So, the meat's internal temperature should reach 130 degrees Fahrenheit (54 degrees Celsius). It will have a nice, juicy pink center, and seared exterior.

Is lamb better well done or medium? ›

According to the American Lamb Council, Americans prefer lamb that is cooked medium rather than rare or well done. But doneness is a matter of personal preference. The French, for instance, prefer rare lamb, whereas Greeks enjoy lamb well done, almost falling from the bone.

Is lamb better in slow cooker or oven? ›

A leg of lamb is naturally quite tough, since the muscle has had to work so hard, so benefits from being cooked low and slow in a slow cooker. This recipe is cooked in lamb stock and red wine to create a delicious gravy to serve your lamb with.

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