Rack of Lamb with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Meyer Lemon Crema

1. For lamb, trim excess fat from racks, leaving a thin fat cap. In bowl, combine orange zest, rosemary, thyme, chili flakes, garlic and oil, crushing herbs, zest and garlic lightly to release oils.  Rub mixture on racks.  Marinate in refrigerator for 24 hours, rotating every 6 hours to ensure best distribution of aromatics.

2. Preheat grill. Remove marinade from lamb; season racks generously with salt and lightly with black pepper.

3. Place racks on grill; roast fat-cap down to render, turning and continuing to grill to desired doneness. Be careful not to burn bones; let rest before serving.

4. For Brussels sprouts; clean and trim sprouts, cutting 1¼ pounds in half and peeling the remaining ¼ pound to leaves only.

5. In two large, heavy-bottomed saute pans, heat butter and oil together over medium heat. Add halved sprouts; toss and season lightly with salt and cayenne and arrange cut-side down.  (Reserve leaves.)

6.  Cook halved sprouts over medium-high heat until golden brown. Flip sprouts; continue to cook until tender. Add leaves; toss together with cooked sprouts and cook for 1 minute longer.  7. Pull sprouts to one side of pan; add additional 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil; divide garlic and anchovy between two pans.  Stir to combine, letting anchovy and garlic melt together; continue to cook until toasted.  Toss to combine.  When ready to plate, heat sprouts and adjust seasoning as desired.  Add Piments d’Argile or Espelette and finish with lemon juice.

8. For crema, in heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine Meyer lemon peels with lemon centers.  Cover with cold water and bring to a boil; drain. Repeat process 3 to 4 times until lemons are tender and not bitter.

9. Drain lemon mixture; transfer to blender and process until smooth. Season with salt, add ing a small amount of simple syrup to balance. With blender running, drizzle in up to 1/2 cup oil; adjust seasoning as necessary. Hold at room temperature.

10. To serve, place a swoosh of Meyer lemon crema on plate; scatter Brussels sprouts alongside. Cut lamb racks into chops and plate two or three chops per guest. Garnish with orange slices, if desired.

Photo courtesy of the American Lamb Board