Ad Hoc: Herb-Crusted Lamb with Honey Mustard Glaze

Finally, i've managed to dive into Ad Hoc!

I think i've said this before, but i'm going to say it again: i'm not a fan of meat in general.  I agreed to make lamb for my husband because (1) I had some extra time (a little slow at work) and I felt like cooking, and (2) he tolerates the fact that we eat chicken or frozen food an average of 6 days a week.

That being said... this was fairly easy and (much to my surprise) incredibly delicious!  And, after cooking so many French Laundry dishes as of late, it was a snap.

First: I made breadcrumbs.  I was supposed to tear the crust off of my bread... but lets face it, i'm lazy.  So I decided to just use my food processor instead.

After drying, it was back into the food processor.

Second: garlic confit.  Peeling the garlic took me for-ev-er, mostly because I was doing it the "slow way" (the way in which I do not bang the cloves with a knife), afraid of damaging the cloves.  Then I realized that I could puree them if I wanted, so why would it matter if the clove was a little crushed?  First head of garlic: 20 minutes.  Next 3: 15 minutes total.  Doing the whole 'whack your knife on the garlic' trick is so much more time efficient!

After I peeled FOUR heads of garlic, threw them in with some oil and simmered away.

Third: mince some rosemary and parsley.




Fourth: honey-mustard glaze.  Just mix honey and mustard.  That was easy.

Fifth: Combine softened butter and garlic cloves (I omitted the anchovies, because, as i've stated, i'm NEVER voluntarily deboning an anchovy again!), then mix with the herb and breadcrumbs.

Sixth: quickly sear the fat-side of the meat, then pat down with breadcrumb mixture and put into oven.

Seven: let rest, then chow down on yummy chops!

Seriously, like I said above, i'm not a fan of meat.  This is especially true of lamb, since I always feel like its a little gamey.  But this, this was fabulous.  Meat was a perfect medium-rare, tender, not too bloody.  The crust was buttery and buttery, and how do you go wrong with buttery?  The thin layer of fat was broken down by the sear, so no gristle or anything to chomp through.  And best of all: it took maybe two hours - one of which was really just spent cleaning up my kitchen while things cooked (unattended) - but looked elegant and fancy enough for a special dinner.