Easter Dinner

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!