We dine simply, but well, this Easter, with a meal inspired by Melissa Clark in her book Dining in French. Our menu is Baby Lettuce Salad with Shallot Vinaigrette and Chive-Stuffed Rack of Lamb with Crispy Potatoes.
We start by making the salad, combining baby lettuce with a vinaigrette made from a shallot, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and olive oil. We add grape tomatoes, yellow bell pepper, sliced cucumber, scallions, avocado, and blue cheese (a few tweaks to the original recipe), then drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad just before serving, tossing the mixture with our hands until everything is lightly coated.
Salad ingredients
Ready to serve
For the rack of lamb, we make a garlicky, ginger herb paste by blending chives, parsley, garlic, fresh grated ginger, Asian fish sauce, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. We rub this herb mixture on the rack of lamb and let it marinate while we prepare the potatoes.
Making the paste
Great directions
Rack of lamb and herb paste
We boil fingerling potatoes for about 15 minutes, then let them cool and flatten them with our hands. They then fill a small roasting pan, drizzled with olive oil and salt.
Potatoes ready
We place the rack of lamb on the potatoes, fat side up and roast in the oven to medium rare.
Ready for roasting
Roasting in process
As the lamb cooks, we prepare the table, and share cocktails and some simple appetizers.
Appetizers
Table is set
Once the lamb is ready, we transfer it to the cutting board, tent it with foil to keep warm, and flip the potatoes over and roast them at a higher temperature until they are golden, crispy on the outside and creamy on the inside.
Potatoes continue to roast
We slice the lamb and serve with the potatoes and a little Dijon mustard on the side.
Serving the lamb
On the table, with a little red wine, it's Bon Appetit and Happy Easter!
Enjoy!