Oh! Let’s see…Greek Easter was over a week ago now and here I am posting my celebratory Easter dish that I cooked. A little late I know, but hey no one said this was a race or a competition. And really, you don’t need a special event to eat and enjoy this dish. It makes a perfect meal in any season but traditionally I do like the flavours of lamb in spring. As usual I encourage you to play around with flavours you like and occasionally “step off the beaten track”.
I kept this dish quite simple with my “Holy Trinity” of Greek spices. I used dried oregano, olive oil and lemon juice. I did also add a little bit of chilli to the mix only because I like a little spice every know and then. I let it marinate overnight and let it come to room temperature before throwing it in a hot oven.
I think Peter from Kalofagas summed it pretty well when he said that Greeks prefer their lamb well done. I know my mother would look at this and scream with horror that the meat isn’t cooked! But I prefer it medium rare. Just a preference…that’s all. The other thing I did was roast a few cloves of garlic with the lamb. I love their flavour when they are roasted…sort of sweet and not at all “garlicky”. I served this dish with “fat chips”. I used big potatoes, leaving the skin on and cut them into large chips (or fries). These had a head start because I wanted everything to be ready at the same time. Don’t forget to let your lamb rest for a good 10 minutes afterwards. Oh! I also forgot! I made a batch of tzatziki to go with the lamb and this completed my Greek Eatster feasting!
RECIPE FOR GREEK STYLE RACK OF LAMB
- 1 organic rack of lamb with a little of the fat removed
- a good handful of Greek rigani (oregano…if you can’t find the Greek stuff just use regular oregano)
- the juice of half a lemon
- 2 cloves of garlic finely minced plus a handful of garlic cloves with skin intact
- 1 tsp of dried chillies
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup of olive oil
I like to combine the above ingredients (excluding the garlic cloves that you will roast) to form a nice paste. I then apply it liberally to the lamb ensuring it’s massaged in really well. I leave it marinate for a few hours but overnight is better. Bring it to room temperature and place it in a hot pre heated 200 deg C oven. Let it cook for about 15 mins. Remove it and let it rest for 10 mins before slicing. You can leave the garlic cloves cook for a little longer so they can caramelise.
FAT CHIPS
I used a few gigantic good ol’ regular potatoes for this side dish. I washed them and sliced them into thick wedges. I tossed them in some extra virgin olive oil, lots of sea salt and black pepper. I placed them in a baking pan in a very hot 220 deg C oven and let them cook for about 45 mins. I made sure to check on them and turn them around half way through. (Just remember that 20 mins into cooking them I placed my lamb in the oven and turned the temp down to 200 C…just stagger everything and time it accordingly.)
So. Are we over lamb yet?
{ 43 comments… read them below or add one }
Xristos Anesti Peter! Your rack of lamb looks delicious, and it’s making me drool a little over here!!!! And I agree with you, I prefer my lamb medium rare too! Some of these Greeks just don’t know what they’re missing out on!
Those ribs sound delicious. I have never tried them with garlic before and although I never used to like garlic now I am a fanatic garlic lover.
I love the lamb and I wish I could enjoy it more in it’s rare, pink state. You folks have some great product over there and it’s a good thing you emphasized to not trim too much fat…you pay for that – that’s flavah!
The presentation is awesome, thanks for the shoutout and Spring means more lamb…Baaaaaaaaaa!
It’s certainly no competition Peter (maybe a bit of an addiction..lol) and you can post your christmas recipes during the summer, as they always look amazing! The lamb looks just perfect with the bit of redness. I prefer mine that way too, why would you have it any other way?
“I think Peter from Kalofagas summed it pretty well when he said that Greeks prefer their lamb well done.”
Not just Greeks Peter, also we Italians like it well cooked. Anyway it’s impressive how it is cooked very similar to our tradition, we’d just use rosemary, sticked into some cuts into the lamb surface, instead than oregano. Well… it seems that I have to post the complete recipe
That rack of lamb looks delicious, Peter! I especially love the fat chips and tzatziki to go with it! This is my kind of meal!
That meat looks wonderful! It’s cooked to perfection! I particularly love the second picture…
Cheers,
Rosa
totally understand the lamb needs to be well done situation. i had to keep checking that not a drop of blood would come out of the lamb for Easter, otherwise the consequences would had been dramatic heehe
Lovely write up, love the simplicity of your recipe, but which surely brings out the true flavour of the lamb. Beautiful photography- but that goes without saying!!!
And P.S: you need to have a post just on the wedges!! They are freakin gorgeous, need to know the secret of how you how you make yours!!
PPS: and I meant you need to dedicate a full post on the wedges, not just a few lines at the end of your recipe
They just look amazing. As you can guess, I have not only made a fixation on the lamb, but the wedges too!! 
Yeap, I could have the whole Rack and I love that juicy pink colour ;D. He, he, I love the name of the sauce
… I know I’m quite irreverent ;D.
A pleasure to watch your pictures Peter!!!
I’m with you on 2 counts — you don’t have to wait till Easter to eat lamb (especially Greek-flavored!) and I prefer it medium rare. You can cook it your way for me any time!
LOVE a nice rack of lamb, and you have certainly done a beautifull looking one here. Loving the photography, the food, everything.
yum. i’m of lebanese descent and my family loves lamb.
i cant get over the size of the lamb chop – its what i was used to in new zealand.
in crete, they are so tiny and runty looking, that there is never much meat on the bone!
Scrumptuous!!! Your photos never stop to amaze me, Peter. I am a newly turned lamb eater (we eat goat back in home country, which has a lot stronger gamey taste which I couldn’t take), but your photos just prove what I’ve been missing out.
Christos Anesti, Peter! I prefer lamb medium-rare, too. I know it’s enough to cause a huge upheaval in most Greek households, though. Next year I’m coming to your house.
Roasted garlic is so beautiful, and the chips look good too!
Peter, you have the most awesome cutlery
and I know exactly what you mean… it took me a long time to show my parents the wonders of medium-rare
A meal fit for the Greek gods Peter. I love my lamb with the pink still showing too:D
Just amazing by just glancing at that rack of lamb, so beautiful done, just to perfection and so well captured
The lamb looks perfectly cooked! And the flavors sound lovely, simple yet substantial. I have to admit that the potato wedges look amazing as well.
Better late than never, right? LOL but you are right, this isn’t a competition
I love the color of your lamb. When it comes to lamb I like it medium rare rather than well done, so this works great for me. Man I am hungry now, hehe
those fries look as scrumptious as the lamb!!!
This looks so great, Peter. I love the “holy trinity” and I, too, agree that Greeks like their lamb well done (although, I think that is typically the older generation; like you, I like mine medium rare). Hope you had a great Easter!
Absolutely gorgeous as usual, Peter. I have a knife that matches that fork perfectly. They should get together for a little party sometime.
Wow. I’m really hungry for garlicky lamb now. Looks fantastic! I would eat it rare as well.
Well I’m sure you know I agree that your lamb is perfectly cooked! It looks amazing. I absolutely love roasting garlic as an accompaniment too – sometimes I just spread the caramelised cloves on bread I love it so much!
Hi Peter! I ate lamb yesterday… I like it a lot, but not my family, so if I find it in a restaurant menu… well I MUST eat it!!! Many compliments for your photographs… and chips seem so tasty!!!
Bye
Are you kidding, Peter? This was worth the wait.
That rack is so small! I bet the meat was tender. Looks like you cooked it just right too. I think the cooking rare vs well done thing is a generational difference as my parents like meat well done. I’m guessing it has something to do with availability of refrigeration.
Hey Peter
I wish I could just have you cook this for our Mother’s Day lunch as I know everyone would love it.
So simple but so effective. Such nice pics too : )
You are seriously killing me – I am so hungry for that lamb right now!. And those chips. And that garlic! All I would need is a nice glass of red.
I’ve been reading for a while (bet you have heard that before – it’s true though)
but never commented before until this – NOW that is a food photo.
I am london girl (the Uk one) who lives in Rome (the Italian one) who spent a month
in greece (the Athens place) every year for 10 years, often for easter which meant lamb.
Not that the lamb was anything like this, it was quite pink though.
What I am trying to say is I really liked this post and all the rest and too prove it I am off
to vote for you.
Those rustic fries, soft squishy garlic and the prefect looking rack of lamb … Peter its 8 in the morning here, and you have me craving this for breakfast !
OMG I’m in L.O.V.E! Peter, you are an amazing photographer and we have such similar tastes in food. We must catch up when I’m back from London in November… just in time for Xmas drinks!
That is a beautiful rack of lamb with yummy looking garlic!
We got a side of lamb recently for $4.99 a kilo – so 8 meals for under $40 – one of them was a rack (unfrenched) and so google found you for me.
Didn’t have time to marinate, but it was absolutely gorgeous with my roast potatoes (probably pretty close to your wedges), sweet potatoes and pumpkin – and I made a gravy with the juices (because I am all country Queensland like that) and my sick little girl proclaimed it was the best meat EVER!
Thank you – a nice ending to my Mother’s Day.
Will you marry me??!!?? That’s just enthusiasm on my part. Pardon me. (smiling) That is the most gorgeous photo with the cutting board, vintage fork and succulent lamb! Aside from looking delicious, the quality of the shot is beautiful. Thanks for posting it on Tastespotting – lucky me to find it.
That is one nice looking meal! Roast lamb and chips…mmm…
This rack looks beautiful, and the photos are great!
Absolutely gorgeous photos Peter! It makes you want to dive right in and grab some (after admiring the photography!)
Fantastic recipe. Saved it to try out on my friends!
What fantastic cooking techniques and photo’s. Congratulations – you have some very worthy comments! Will definitely try your lamb, we get superb lamb in S.A.