- [Presenter] This episode is
sponsored by the Botanist gin. The botanist is distilled
from a unique combination of botanicals hand, forged
on the Island of Ila off the coast of Scotland. The gin perfectly encapsulates the flavors and essence of wild Ila. It's beautifully complex and smooth. Among the many botanicals
that define the Botanist, flavor are three distinct
kinds of wild mint. Today, I'm keeping things
classic with a Botanist martini to really let the spirits flavors shine. One, that's going to beautifully
compliment lamb chops with a mint chimichurri. Let's get down to basics. (upbeat music) So like I mentioned of the Botanist 22 unique, hand forged botanicals three are different kinds of wild mint. A perfect pairing for both lamb chops and a classic gin martini. First up, if all you have is big ice, go ahead and smash it
to make some little ice, dump the little ice into
a glass mixing glass. Add three ounces of the Botanist gin and one ounce of dry vermouth. We're then going to stir vigorously until the glass becomes frosty and then strain using
both a cocktail strainer and a fine mesh strainer. Garnish it with a single
floating mint leaf and you got yourself one classy cocktail to accompany our classy dinner. Now that I've got something
to sip on while I cook we may begin to cook. So let's start by talking about the most widely available cuts of lamb. First up, we have the
individual loin chop. In steak terms, this is sort
of like the ribeye of the lamb. Then we've got the smaller
and more expensive loin chop. This is more reminiscent
of a T-bone steak. On one side of the bone is
a tiny little tenderloin and on the other side
is a New York strip like cut from the loin. Then the most economical
option, the lamb shoulder chop. This isn't as pretty of
a cut, it's got a bone and a whole bunch of
connective tissue in it, but it's still good eating and can be served pan fried or
broiled just like its peers. And lastly, the very
fanciest of all the boys, the French rib roast. Which as you can see is just
the whole bunch of rib chops all stuck together. Its presentation has
made all the more elegant by its exposed bones, which as you can see the butcher didn't do
a great job of cleaning so we're gonna have to
tidy those up a bit. Using a small paring knife
or an appropriately named bird's beak knife like this one, we're gonna scrape all the excess meat and send you in silver skin off each bone. Until they are as clean
as a kid's bop album. And that's the basic cuts. Now, something to keep in mind is a lot of people don't like
the gamey flavor of lamb. If one of those people is you there are a couple of things you can do to avoid those grassy metallic undertones. One solution that makes a lot of sense, once you hear it out
loud is to not buy lamb that has been grass fed. Usually this is lamb from
New Zealand or Australia. Another step to take is to
remove as much fat as possible as this is where most of
those gamey flavors reside. Now onto the actual cooking. You can pretty much prepare
rib chops, loin shops, and shoulder chops the same way. So, because I am most
excited about the loin chops those are the ones that
I shall demonstrate. Just like any steak, we're
gonna season liberally with both kosher salt
and freshly ground pepper and let them stand at room
for 30 minutes before cooking. You can then grill, broil
or pan sear these bad boys. Really any cooking method that hits them with a lot of heat very quickly. I'm gonna drop mine into
a thoroughly preheated cast iron pan with a
tablespoon of vegetable oil. Flip once a deep golden
brown sear has been achieved. Make sure that all sides have
been blessed with a kiss heat. And when it comes to
lamb pretty much the rare that you can tolerate it, the better. Lamb starts to get very tough and it's gamey flavors accentuated anywhere past 120 degrees Fahrenheit. I usually cook to 110 or 115. So that's the basic method for preparing pretty much any kind of chop. But what if you want to
impress a family member, loved one, or cartoon nemesis
with a roast rack of lamb. We're gonna start very much the same by generously seasoning,
all facets of the roast with kosher salt and
freshly ground pepper. We're gonna take a page
out of Gordon Ramsey's book and season on a plate so
that we can rub it around in any excess spice. And optionally you can cut it in half if you want to present it
as two separate servings. Maybe interlock the bones
so it looks like something out of a medieval romance it's novel. But save that for plating first, we have to head
over to the stove top. But the only thing we're
doing differently here is that we're going to pan
roast rather than just pan sear. Especially when dealing with a whole rack, it's very difficult to get
that good color on the outside and reach the fabled internal temperature of 110 degrees Fahrenheit. So we're gonna get as
good a series as we can on all sides before placing them on their racks and finishing in the oven. This might take a few
minutes so it's a good time to sip on your Botanist martini. If you have a camera in your kitchen make sure you ham it
up as much as possible. That is until you notice that
your lamb is starting to burn and it's time to spring into action and get it into a 400
degree Fahrenheit oven. It might smell good, but
be aware of oil spatter. However your prepare it lamb, it generally ends up
getting sauced or herbed. So we're gonna finally
chop up some fresh mint and parsley to make a
sort of mint chimichurri. But we're gonna keep it
kind of rustic and chunky so maybe more like a mint gremolata. The addition of mints we'll
add a fresh menthol quality to brighten up in contrast
the richness of the lamb. And pairing it with our cocktail we'll put our dinner in mint condition. Sorry. Then to add a little brightness, we're gonna grate in
the zest of one lemon, to add some garlic in this, we're going to crush
in one clove of garlic and to help everybody
get to know each other, a little drizzle of
extra Virgin olive oil. And of course kosher salt
and freshly ground pepper. I'm also gonna add a little
sprinkle of red chili flake for some optional heat. Tiny ways to combine and our lamb is ready to get gussied up. You can serve this on the
side or sprinkle over top and around the plate for
an elegant presentation. Drizzle with a little bit of olive oil and then it's time to dig in. First I'm gonna get a
cross section going here to see if I cooked it right. Yes, that is an
appropriate to medium rare. And I could eat this with a fork and knife but I like to enjoy my
lamb lollipops styles which kind of makes me feel like a giant and in the end, isn't it that why we cook? All right. Finally use a fork and knife like a grownup or whatever. Thank you again to the Botanist gin for sponsoring today's episode. The unique combination
of hand forged botanicals and the Botanist compliments
almost any flavor profile making it an ideal pairing
for nearly any recipe. Botanist martinis are
delicious on their own but alongside this lamb
with mint gremolata the whole experience is
really something special. Try the flavors and essence
of wild Ila yourself. Order a bottle of the Botanist on Drizly. The link is in the video description. Cheers.
He makes it look so easy! Will have to try, I've never cooked lamb before.
3oz Spirit + 1oz vermouth, that’s a strong drink
FINALLY