Our Best Lamb Recipes

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 a local cheese: Thistle Hill Farm's complex, nutty Tarentaise.

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.

Instead of butterflying a boned leg of lamb and cooking it whole, 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.

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.

Lamb necks, an underappreciated cut, are fantastic when braised, such as in this homey stew from Boston 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.

At Haven's Kitchen, this tender braised leg of lamb might be served at a private dinner party. Chef David Mawhinny then sandwiches any extra meat and meat juices with pickled vegetables and focaccia for lunch.

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.

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.

When making most stews, cooks typically brown the meat before braising it; here, Ethan Stowell skips that step, which simplifies the Moroccan recipe and gives the lamb a buttery, melt-in-the-mouth texture. The dish is vibrantly flavored with ginger, cumin, coriander, olives and lemon; the broth is delicious over couscous.

A jammy Zinfandel and dried fruit lend a ton of flavor to lamb-shoulder chops.

Use store-bought pappardelle, ground lamb and chicken stock, then top the dish with fresh ricotta and mint.

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").

Cooking pieces of lamb shoulder in a superhot cast-iron skillet makes them wonderfully browned and tender.

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. 

Cooking lamb for a crowd? these merguez-inspired meatballs make a great appetizer, particularly with a cooling, creamy Green Goddess Dip

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.,