Recipe from Carlo Mirarchi
Adapted by Sam Sifton
- Total Time
- 3 hours 30 minutes, plus overnight refrigeration
- Rating
- 4(101)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Here, a lamb breast cooked into tender excellence in the oven, under a sheet of aluminum foil, its skin rubbed with garlic, rosemary and mint. The result is cooled, its flavors concentrating overnight. To serve, the home cook cuts the meat from the bone, then sears it.
The crisp surface of the meat gives way to soft, luscious lamb within, strong-flavored and salty-sweet. Citrus-flecked yogurt only slightly thinned by olive oil provides cool contrast, its creamy brightness melting against the flesh. Wilted scallions add a vegetal note, slightly acid, percussion in a love song. —Sam Sifton
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Ingredients
Yield:4-6 servings.
- 1head garlic, peeled
- 2tablespoons kosher salt
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely minced
- 3tablespoons fresh mint, finely minced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1lamb breast (approximately 3 pounds)
- 2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1cup thick, Greek-style yogurt or goat yogurt
- 2tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 2tablespoons fresh mint, finely minced
- 4teaspoons lemon zest
- 2teaspoons kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Smoked paprika to taste
- 5bunches scallions
- 1tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon white balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
For the Lamb
For the Yogurt Sauce
For the Scallions
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
1315 calories; 92 grams fat; 36 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 42 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 17 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 102 grams protein; 1645 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
Step
1
Preheat oven to 350. Using a mortar and pestle, mash the garlic and salt into a paste. Gradually mix in the olive oil. Stir in the herbs and pepper.
Step
2
Fit the lamb into a roasting pan big enough to contain it. Smear it thoroughly with the paste, and place it ribs-side down in pan. Cover tightly with foil, and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees, 2 to 3 hours, depending on size of breast. Meat should be wobbly but not falling apart. Allow to cool, then cover and rest in the refrigerator overnight.
Step
3
The next day, prepare the sauce. Whisk 1 tablespoon of olive oil into the yogurt. Then the lemon juice. Stir in mint, lemon zest and salt. Before serving, drizzle sauce with remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with pepper and a pinch of paprika to taste.
Step
4
Light your grill, or place a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cut the breast and ribs away from the bone that runs lengthwise between them. Cut the breast into half-inch slices that resemble thick-cut bacon, and separate the ribs. Reserve fat from the roasting pan. Cook a few pieces of lamb at a time on fairly high heat, until browned and crispy on both sides, approximately 4 to 6 minutes.
Step
5
Brush the onions with some of the lamb fat. Place them on the grill or on a pan under a preheated broiler. Cook them, turning once or twice, until flimsy and slightly charred. Remove them to a large bowl and dress with the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
Ratings
4
out of 5
101
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Cooking Notes
SCDC
Sounds like a delicious dish! Would a leg of lamb work equally well? I never see lamb breast in the grocery store. Thank you.
Rebecca
Got a 2-lb lamb breast in our meat CSA and was delighted to find this recipe since I hadn't encountered the cut before. Instead of the first slow roast, I put the rubbed meat in the Instant Pot with 1 cup water (you could use broth) and cooked it at high pressure for 20 minutes, similar to ribs recipes I've seen. Let it sit overnight, as directed, and followed the recipe after that. Delicious! Easy! And do not skip the yogurt sauce!
vinaigrette
Can an instructional video be included, so to illustrate the technique for Step 4? Thank you.
Winebaron
Cooked the lamb sous vide then finished as directed. It was a great hit
Jim
I made this with half of a boneless leg of lamb last weekend. It was fantastic. Do chill it overnight in the fridge as directed. This makes it easy to skim the lamb fat off the liquid in the pan and to achieve uniform slices of lamb. A few minutes in a very hot cast iron skillet with some sizzling lamb fat yielded crispy, browned slices. Delicious with the broiled scallions.
lindsay
This was so yummy and easy! The hardest part was cutting the meat. I’ve never really cut a piece like this before, so it took a little experimenting to figure it out, but the cut is very forgiving so no need for perfection. I actually did it backwards - separating the ribs first and then doing the longer bone. Also threw in another handful of mint to the sauce. Everyone had seconds.
tina
I did this recipe exactly . It was outrageously good! The fat left in the roasting pan was something else! I used it on the onions and have saved the fat for something wonderful someday. Look forward to time I find lamb breast again (I found it this time in a Russian supermarket called Net Cost in Brighton Beach. It is amazing how hard it is to find. The lamb was meltingly tender, and the crispy fat will make my arteries happy for years!
Kat
is a rack of lamb - lamb breast?
Mark Woolard
Frankly, this is a ghastly dish as written. Way too much salt in the marinade...perhaps two teaspoons would be survivable. And yes, I scraped off the marinade at the end of step 2. The resulting meat tastes like the shore of the dead sea...no lemon or mint flavor at all, only salt. Even my dog couldn't eat it. Just a waste of a nice lamb breast at $9.00 per pound.
Jacqueline
Perhaps you used fine salt instead of kosher salt? A good reason to include weight measurements instead of volume, HUGE difference for salt!
Jim
I made this with half of a boneless leg of lamb last weekend. It was fantastic. Do chill it overnight in the fridge as directed. This makes it easy to skim the lamb fat off the liquid in the pan and to achieve uniform slices of lamb. A few minutes in a very hot cast iron skillet with some sizzling lamb fat yielded crispy, browned slices. Delicious with the broiled scallions.
nora
No one answered whether you can use a leg of lamb. Can you? Boneless or with bone in???It is not so easy to find a lamb breast.Thanks.
Nora
Can you use a leg of lamb for this recipe, either boneless or bone in? How would it change it? It is very hard to find breast of lamb.
Julie
I used lamb ribs (my favorite cut) and this was delicious!
Where can you buy lamb belly?
I'm in San Diego, CA and I can't find lamb belly anywhere. I even searched halal markets.
Jacqueline
Ask for lamb ribs, not belly:), and get it at Tip Top Meat in Carlsbad.
Dwight Smith
Lamb breast is a delicious choice of meat. Will give this recipe a try. If your favorite store doesn't have this meat then try a Kosher butcher. You'll be happy that you did.
Rebecca
Got a 2-lb lamb breast in our meat CSA and was delighted to find this recipe since I hadn't encountered the cut before. Instead of the first slow roast, I put the rubbed meat in the Instant Pot with 1 cup water (you could use broth) and cooked it at high pressure for 20 minutes, similar to ribs recipes I've seen. Let it sit overnight, as directed, and followed the recipe after that. Delicious! Easy! And do not skip the yogurt sauce!
Cherille
Thanks for this note!! I love using my Instant Pot.
SCDC
Sounds like a delicious dish! Would a leg of lamb work equally well? I never see lamb breast in the grocery store. Thank you.
Whitney Devlin
Even the supermarket butcher will order it for you. Inexpensive when compared to other cuts of meAt.
Naani-Daadi
I do see lamb CHOPS in the supermarket which I guess would qualify as lamb breast? They are so tender and delicious, especially with the marinade suggested. I add finely grated ginger and lemon zest in my Mom's version of the marinade. If I use a leg of lamb (top half) I request the butcher to chop it up in large chunks (bone included) before marinating. I appreciate the notes from other readers.
vinaigrette
Can an instructional video be included, so to illustrate the technique for Step 4? Thank you.
Winebaron
Cooked the lamb sous vide then finished as directed. It was a great hit
Gupta
What temperature and how long sous vide?
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