Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb. A rack of lamb is seared, then coated with Dijon Mustard and a crunchy layer of a ground pistachios and bread crumbs. Roasted in the oven until tender and juicy gives you a restaurant quality dinner. Easier than you think and impressive.

Pistachio crusted lamb chops with puy lenils and roasted winter squash

When I was growing up, having a chop for dinner meant you were having a pork chop, fried. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I first ordered lamb chops at an upscale restaurant.

So beautifully cooked, I thought cooking lamb at home would be fussy and difficult. Then we had grilled lamb chops at a friend’s house, I knew if David could cook it, I could cook it. I’ve learned that the best thing about lamb is that is so forgiving.

Lamb is good rare, medium, and well-done, and its exterior develops a crispness that rivals that of the skin of pork and chicken, or the exterior of perfectly grilled beef. And it will do this all without much fuss.

Preparing a Rack of Lamb, Frenching

This Summer at Cooking School, we prepared rack of lamb. New for me. After being handed a rack of lamb we were instructed to clean the bones using the “frenching” method. It truly was a labor of love, and a very difficult task. I wrestled with that chunk of meat for over an hour, and I swear there was a moment where I thought I’d cry out of frustration.

Frenching means to strip meat and membrane away from the bone to give it a clean appearance. See that beautiful little clean handle – that takes a lot of work. Our knife skill training at school was extensive and I’m very glad for that. Here’s a link from Serious Eats if you’re interested in learning Knife Skills, How to Clean and French a Lamb Rack.

Recipe for oven roasted rack of lamb chops with pistachios and dijon mustard.

To recreate this recipe, I gladly paid the extra dollars for an already Frenched rack of lamb at my local grocer. After all, my boning knife and I still aren’t speaking over the whole ordeal.

Rack of Lamb coated with pistachios and dijon mustard.

Let’s take a look at the process for this beautiful Lamb Chop Dinner.

First, coat the lamb with olive oil, fresh thyme leaves, fresh rosemary leaves and salt and pepper. Marinate in the refrigerator for two hours. Bring the lamb to room temperature. Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add neutral oil such as vegetable oil. When oil is hot, add lamb and sear on each side until you get a good brown crust. Remove from heat.

Pistachio crusted dijon mustard rack of lamb

When the lamb has cooled slightly smear generously with Dijon Mustard.

In the meantime, in a food processor add the pistachios and pulse until rough chopped. Add Panko bread crumbs and some butter. Gently pulse again until mixed. Press the mixture onto the lamb until well coated. Roast the lamb in the oven until thermometer reaches 160 and enjoy.

Note: It’s important to use a meat thermometer for this recipe. Over temperatures vary, so keeping track of the internal temperature is important to insure a perfect roast.

I served this with puy lentils and a variety of roasted squash for a lovely Fall dinner.

Recipe for Pistachio Crusted Rack of Lamb

I hope you give this crusted rack of lamb recipe a try, and if you do, please come back and give the recipe a star rating. And leave a comment about your experience with the recipe.

And if you have a favorite crusted rack of lamb recipe, let me know, I’d love to give it a try.