This simple but festive Pistachios and Pesto Crusted Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate Sauce recipe would be an excellent choice for Christmas or New Years feast!
Lamb tastes amazing pretty much anyway you season it. But there are some flavours that enhance the taste of the meat more than others, and my homemade pomegranate sauce makes quite the pairing with a rack of lamb. I also encrusted it with pistachios and pesto because I love having a crunchy, nutty texture on the outside of racks of lamb. It just makes the meat feel that much more tender!
The best part about this recipe, aside from how tasty it is, is how simple it is to make while looking pretty fancy. I’m a big turkey or duck for Thanksgiving fan, but if you’re looking for a unique dinner entrée idea for that Christmas or New Years feast, this Pistachios and Pesto Crusted Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate Sauce would be an excellent choice. Enjoy!
RACK OF LAMB
You are going to need one rack of lamb per every two people that you are serving. You can easily roast multiple racks of lamb at the same time, then stand them against each other with the ribs crossing for an even more impressive display.
Racks are pretty standard as far as sizes. There are 8 bones and racks usually run just under 1 1/2 pounds each. The loin part is usually trimmed from all the extra fat, which has its own term called frenched. Most of the racks of lamb that you will find in many local grocery stores will already come frenched, or you can ask a butcher to do it for you.
I like to keep the seasoning simple: salt, freshly ground black pepper and some Italian herb seasoning.
The next step is optional, but I always like to either brown the meat all over on the skillet or place the rack in the preheated 475 F oven for about 7 minutes. This always brings out so much more flavour.
PISTACIOS AND PESTO CRUST
For the crust, I combined finely chopped pistachios, pesto sauce, some bread crumbs and a little bit of Parmesan cheese.
To “glue” the crust onto the racks I used a few tablespoons of Dijon mustard. I generously spread it all over the top surface of the racks. Then it makes the crust ingredients stick pretty easily to the meat.
After which point, I roasted lamb racks at 400 F for additional 20 minutes. We enjoy lamb cooked to a perfect medium-rare state, that’s when a digital meat thermometer
The rack of lamb will need to rest for 10 minutes on a cutting board, do not leave it in the pan, the pan is hot. During the resting time the temperature inside the meat can continue to rise another 5 degrees or so.
So for example, if I was targeting a final temperature of 130 degrees F for a perfect medium-rare, I would take the lamb out of the oven when it reached 125 degrees F and let it rise the final 5 degrees on it’s own before carving.
HOMEMADE POMEGRANATE SAUCE
In the small pot combine pomegranate juice with half of the red wine, minced garlic, dried basil and sugar. Bring to boil and reduce the heat to low.
Dissolve corn starch with the rest of the wine and slowly pour it into the pot while whisking constantly. Simmer for about 30 seconds and remove from heat. Once cooled, add chopped fresh mint.
Once racks of lamb are done resting, serve them on the platter of fresh greens along with some roasted garlic. And spoil yourself with this incredibly flavourful, juicy and tender Pistachios and Pesto Crusted Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate Sauce over the holidays!
What I like most about this recipe is that when you bring it to the table, people are just sure, you were slaving away all day in the kitchen because it looks so fancy! And little do they know it’s so so simple!
HOLIDAY INSPIRED DISHES TO GO ALONG:
Cranberry Pecan Stuffed Baked Brie
Ultimate Baked Mashed Potatoes
Holiday Cranberry and Pomegranate Pavlova
Pistachios and Pesto Crusted Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 fully trimmed racks of lamb about 1 1/2 pounds each)
- 2 tsp Italian seasonings
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 4 tbsp Dijon mustard
Pistachios and Pesto Crust
- 1 cup roasted pistachios finely chopped
- 2 tbsp bread crumbs
- 3 tbsp pesto sauce
- 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Pomegranate Sauce
- 1/2 cup pomegranate juice
- 1/4 cup semi-sweet red wine
- 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1/8 tsp salt and pepper each
- 1 tsp corn starch
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 garlic clove
Instructions
- Season lamb with salt, pepper and Italian seasonings all over.
- Heat 1 tbsp oil in a heavy based skillet over high heat. Sear lamb rack all over until nicely browned, about 1 minute on each side. Or preheat the oven to 475 F and roast the lamb for about 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest until cooled.
Pistachios and Pesto Crust
- In a medium bowl add all the crust ingredients and mix to combine.
- Spread the Dijon mustard all over the top surface of the racks then tap and press the crust mixture to "glue" it onto the meat.
- Roast in the preheated 400 F oven for 20-25 minutes or until digital meat thermometer registers 125 degrees F. Remove the rack onto the cutting board and let rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.
Pomegranate Sauce
- In the small pot combine pomegranate juice with half of the red wine, minced garlic, dried basil and sugar. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low.
- Dissolve corn starch with the rest of the wine and slowly pour it into the pot while whisking constantly. Simmer for about 30 seconds and remove from heat once thickened. When cooled, add chopped fresh mint.
- Once racks of lamb are done resting, serve them on the platter of fresh greens along with some roasted garlic. And spoil yourself with this incredibly flavorful, juicy and tender Pistachios and Pesto Crusted Rack of Lamb with Pomegranate Sauce over the holidays!
What a festive dinner recipe. Love the combination of ingredients. Specially the crust looks awesome. Thanks for sharing
Thanks so much Kushigalu! Really appreciated!
Looks so divine and delicious! Love the flavors and can’t wait to taste them.
Thanks so much Andrea! Hope you enjoy it!
This rack of lamb looks absolutely delicious! I love the idea of a pistachio and pesto crust – sounds like a delicious combo to give the lamb some flavor! I’m definitely saving this for my Christmas dinner.
Thank you very much Luci!
Wow. What an incredible feast this is! Love how it’s smothered in great texture 😀
Thanks so much Jeannette!
A unique and a festive recipe. Love the Marinade and the delicious combination to making the sauce. The nutty and the crispy crust. Awesome recipe.
Thank you so much!
Waw Waw Waw! You are a star Cook! Cannot wait to try to cook it. Greeting from Slovakia
Awee thank you so much dear! Hope you like it!
My grandma used to make a similar kind of lamb and now I am craving it after seeing your recipe. I will definitely try your recipe as it looks beautiful and delicious. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe.