Courtesy of Chef John McGannon, wildeats.com
Rack of lamb persillade combines the rich flavors of lamb, seared on an open fire grill, brushed with Dijon mustard and topped with seasoned herbal breadcrumbs moistened with virgin olive oil then finished in the oven to brown the bread topping. This combination of flavors is timeless and should be considered for any celebration that requires “something special.” It can easily be adapted for elk backstraps.Ingredients 2-3 lbs of elk backstrap—trimmed of all silver skin
1 ½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
½ cup Italian parsley
½ cup sage
1 tbsp minced garlic
4 tbsp virgin olive oil
2 cup fresh bread crumbs
zest of 2 lemons
4-5 tbsp Dijon MustardProcedure
Rub the loins with olive oil and sprinkle with the salt and pepper or your favorite dry rub. If you’re using a dry rub let the rubbed loins sit in the refrigerator overnight. When ready to cook, sear the loins over a high heat grill or skillet. Brown on all sides. Remove from the heat and allow to rest for a bit.
Meanwhile, place the parsley, sage, garlic and olive oil in a food processor and chop until finely minced. Add the breadcrumbs and lemon zest and process for a second until combined.
Brush the loins with the Dijon mustard and pack a ¼” layer of the bread crumb mixture on top. Make sure it sticks to the meat. When ready to finish, place the meat in a 375° F oven until it reaches 125° F internal temperature (about 12 -15 minutes). The breading should be a golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes before cutting.
I like to serve this with a hearty red wine infused demi-glace, sautéed spinach, roasted potatoes and a full bodied wine.Have a recipe you’d like to share? Hit us up in the comments below.