Until this past Easter, I had never prepared a rack of lamb because I was afraid. Not that I’m afraid of cute barn animals or of straying like a vegan might have concern, but I was afraid that I would waste all kinds of time and money and disappoint my brunch guests. I was afraid to fail preparing natural lamb, Colorado-raised lamb, in my own kitchen. In the back of my mind then, as I planned my menu, I strategized a Plan B just in case my mail order lamb didn’t turn out like I had planned.
I was intent on making something special for this Easter Brunch, something other than ham and eggs, something to delight my children and guests. Lamb was the one thing I hadn’t tried before, but armed with my recipe from a cookbook with great photography (that’s how we neophyte chefs assess a recipe as worthy), I scoured the grocery store for the ingredients I needed to make my Colorado lamb the centerpiece of the day’s entertainment.
Hours later, it took three trips from the car to transport my goods to the house. Many more hours later, I had made the homemade rolls and set the table. I’d been to the liquor store and borrowed heaps of serving pieces from my mother. It was nearly 5 a.m. by the time I’d fussed enough over everything to be ready for brunch the next morning. Knowing that I’d sleep right through any alarm, I vowed to stay up and keep on ticking. It wasn’t until I accidently locked myself out of the house on a last minute run to the grocery store that I realized I was not thinking clearly. The keys were inside; I was outside. I called my grown children’s homes using the cell phone reserved for work. No one answered. I called again and again. No answer. No answer. Brunch was due to start in one hour.
Thankfully, my employee answered my call and drove to my house to unlock my door.
The lamb was a huge hit, its savory scent filled the room, and while I’d doubled up on the quantity because I’m the type that always wants too much food on a brunch line rather than to run out of everything, every bit of my Colorado rack of lamb was eaten. The compliments, too, were all about the lamb. No one mentioned the vegetable tray, or the Eggs Benedict. No one asked for seconds on cupcakes from the hottest new bakery in town. The basket of homemade rolls never emptied out entirely; but the natural rack of lamb did.
And at the end of a long afternoon of tidying up, I vowed, I’m not waiting until next Easter to order another rack of lamb from Summit Creek Lamb. This Colorado-grown lamb was spectacular, succulent, savory.
Try my recipe, and see if you don’t agree:
2 racks of lamb (6 or 7 ribs each), trimmed
Of course, offer mint jelly as a garnish for this recipe. Some guests prefer natural Colorado lamb without the jelly, so let guests serve themselves in the buffet line. This mail order lamb from Summit Creek Lamb turned out to be the best Easter brunch I had ever prepared or for that matter better than any I’ve been to…even in a restaurant! And most importantly, my family loved it, loved it, loved it.
Posted in Colorado Lamb, Preparing Lamb, Rack of Lamb, Recipe, Serving Tips