24 Tantalizing Lamb Recipes (2024)

When you think about lamb, you might picture a traditional roasted rack or leg, served with mint jelly. Why stop there? These delicious lamb recipes include garlic-crusted roast rack of lamb and spicy lamb meatballs with green goddess sauce, as well as yogurt-marinated kebabs and a luscious Rogan Josh.

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Red Wine-Braised Lamb Shanks

Chef Jeremy Silansky uses maple syrup, Vermont's most famous export, to glaze root vegetables, employing a novel (and simple) technique: He reduces the maple glaze in a small skillet, then tosses it with the roasted vegetables right before serving. He likes to serve the lamb shanks with creamy polenta made from local cornmeal and nutty cheese.

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Crispy Grilled Lamb Pitas with Radish-Watercress Salad

The robust, fatty lamb here needs a fresh, zippy counterpoint, so it's served with a salad featuring three types of radishes: watermelon radishes, green daikon, and cherry radishes. This trio gets tangled in a pile of also-peppery watercress and dressed with the simplest combo of lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

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03of 24

Garlic-Crusted Roast Rack of Lamb

Wine aficionado Kenny Rochford's favorite way to prepare a rack of lamb is to simply rub it with plenty of garlic, rosemary, olive oil, and salt before roasting.

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Grilled Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

Instead of butterflying a boned leg of lamb and cooking it whole, cookbook author Cal Peternell carefully cuts along the four natural muscle separations (they're easily visible) and pulls the four pieces apart with his fingers. Grilling the lamb this way is quicker, makes it easier to determine doneness, and simplifies carving. Plus the meat develops a mellow flavor and lots of delicious crust.

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Yogurt-Marinated Lamb Kebabs with Lemon Butter

At Shahpura Bagh, a luxurious guesthouse in the Rajasthani countryside, chefs marinate lamb in yogurt to make it exceptionally tender, then give it an extra burst of tangy flavor with a basting of lemon butter just before serving.

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Rosemary-Garlic Lamb Chops with Pimentón and Mint

Chef Nancy Silverton adores the grilled, herb-flecked lamb chops scottadito ("burnt fingers"). Here, she adds a kick to the lamb by garnishing it with smoky pimentón de la Vera and little mint leaves.

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Braised Lamb Neck with Turnip

Lamb necks, an underappreciated cut, are fantastic when braised, such as in this homey stew from chef Tony Maws. The meat gets succulent and tender as it cooks in the slightly sweet braising liquid flavored with white wine and fresh herbs, while the neck bones, in turn, intensify and flavor the broth.

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Lamb Biryani

If there is an Indian dish that signifies celebration, it’s dum-style biryani. “It’s like shepherd’s pie but way sexier,” says chef Cheetie Kumar. Afterit's baked, give the biryani pride of place on the table before you break through the flaky browned paratha crust to reveal the rice and lamb inside. The rising steam carries with it the aromas of toasted cardamom, cumin, saffron, and Kashmiri chile powder.

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Braised Lamb with Herb-Scented Jus

This tender braised leg of lamb makes for an excellent dinner party dish. Chef David Mawhinney likes to sandwich any extra meat and meat juices with pickled vegetables and focaccia for lunch.

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Rack of Lamb with Rosemary Butter

Chef David Kinch grills his lamb racks low and slow because it gives him full control of the cooking. The gentle heat keeps the meat juicy, while the rosemary-infused butter he periodically spoons over the racks adds flavor. He sprinkles the lamb with chopped herbs just before serving; the warm meat makes the herbs especially fragrant.

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Lamb and Butternut Squash Tagine with Apricots

A tagine is both a type of North African cookware and the stew cooked in it. Here, savory lamb, salty olives, and the warm spices in ras el hanout are balanced by sweet butternut squash, apricots, and a touch of honey.

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Zinfandel-Braised Lamb Chops with Dried Fruit

A jammy Zinfandel and dried fruit lend a ton of flavor to lamb-shoulder chops. Serve the dish with steamed Israeli couscous.

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Pappardelle with Lamb Ragù

This easy version of chef Andrew Carmellini's wonderful pasta sauce uses store-bought pappardelle, ground lamb, and chicken stock, topped with fresh ricotta and mint.

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Lamb Rogan Josh

Chef Vikram Sunderam relies on plenty of spices, like cardamom, cloves, and cumin, to flavor this succulent lamb stew (the name translates roughly into "red lamb"). We've simplified the spice blend here by employing Madras curry powder.

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Spicy Sichuan-Style Lamb with Cumin

Cooking pieces of lamb shoulder in a super-hot cast-iron skillet makes them wonderfully browned and tender. Serve with rice and, optionally, an aromatic, concentrated Syrah.

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Double-Cut Lamb Chops with Garlic-Caper Rub

Garlic and capers add a layer of briney umami to the naturally sweet lamb, and reverse searing ensures that the temperature of these chops is exactly right.

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Spicy Lamb Meatballs with Green Goddess Sauce

Cooking lamb for a crowd? These merguez-inspired meatballs make a great appetizer, particularly with a cooling, creamy green goddess dip.

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Banana Leaf-Wrapped Lamb Shank Tamales with Morita Chile Salsa

Another excellent use for lamb? These tamales, which event producer Paola Briseño González makes for holiday gatherings, have a dense, custard-like texture thanks to the banana leaf wrappers, and are stuffed with unctuous, rich lamb.

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Rosé-Marinated Grilled Leg of Lamb with Walnut Salsa Fresca

Studding a leg of lamb with anchovies adds savory depth to this beautiful cut of meat flavored with a garlicky, herbal rosé-based marinade. The flavors in the walnut salsa fresca served alongside mirror those of the marinade, bringing a final dose of richness and flavor to this standout dish.

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Leg of Lamb Cooked Over New Potatoes with Spicy Mint-Rum Sauce

Dried lavender and fresh thyme lend floral, woodsy flavor to garlic cloves in a simple paste that seasons the lamb and helps the dried spice crust stick to the meat. The mint sauce — made by cooking mint jelly in a skillet with a splash of rum and jalapeño — will appear very thin when hot but thickens to a glaze as it cools.

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Lamb, Sweet Potato, and Coconut Mafé Curry

Perfectly tender lamb shoulder and creamy sweet potatoes balanced by floral coriander, warming turmeric and cumin, and piquant ginger and ground mustard make this West African curry a cozy delight. Fonio is a tiny grain that packs a nutritional punch and provides the perfect base for soaking up the flavorful curry sauce.

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Grilled Lamb Chops with Herby Yogurt Sauce

This simple sauce — a blend of yogurt, shallots, salt, and lemon — is an ideal match for lamb's richness; it functions as both a marinade and a finishing sauce here. Serve the lamb with a quick salad of couscous and cucumbers for a complete meal.

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Roasted Eggplant Moussaka with Lamb

Roasting eggplant until it's creamy and custardy makes it the perfect base for layering with a rich, meaty sauce in this take on moussaka, which is topped with a luscious layer of ricotta and mozzarella cheese in place of béchamel sauce.

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Lamb Barbacoa with Masala Adobo

For this dish, chefs Saqib Keval and Norma Listman of Masala y Maíz in Mexico City draw from Indian and Mexican cooking techniques for a one-of-a-kind flavor profile. Fenugreek seeds, available online or at specialty stores, add complexity and a light sweetness here.

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