Borrowing Tradition.
When I looked up the wine I tasted this week for my Provence WineZine post, one of the recommended food pairings was lamb souvlaki. It is a traditional Greek street food of grilled marinated meat on a skewer. I loved the idea of the flavor profile but, rather than skewers of lamb, I wanted to use rack of lamb.
I created this Grilled Marinated Rack of Lamb with Potatoes to pair with a 2021 Domaine Aléofane Crozes-Hermitage. I “borrowed” the traditional souvlaki-inspired marinade for my well-trimmed rack of lamb, then popped it on the grill. You can read about the wine HERE. The lamb and the wine were an excellent pairing; together they made my eyes roll to the heavens.
~ David
Grilled Marinated Rack of Lamb with Potatoes
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Ingredients
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided, plus extra
- zest and 3 tablespoons juice from 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Greek oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra (I use Morton’s)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus extra
- 1 rack of lamb
- 1 pound small yellow-flesh potatoes
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Mix together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice, the oregano, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and the pepper.
- Trim the rack of lamb of its fat. Rub the rack all over with the above mixture using about 2/3 on the meat side and the remaining on the bottom. Place in a shallow tray, cover, and refrigerate for 2 hours.
- After 2 hours remove the lamb from the refrigerator and let come to room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F, and heat the grill to medium-high (about 375°F) using all the burners.
- Slice the potatoes (with skin) 1/4-inch thick and put in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Spread potatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and put them in the oven; set the timer for 35 minutes.
- After the potatoes have been in the oven for 10 minutes, place the rack of lamb, meaty-side down, on the grill. After 3 minutes, turn the lamb and grill for an additional 2 minutes. Turn off the center burner (or side burner if you have only two), close the grill lid and cook lamb on indirect heat for another 15 minutes. You want to keep it to at least 350°F. (The marinade will mostly burn or fall off — that’s okay.)
- While lamb is cooking, sauté the shallot in a little olive oil until clear. Place the cooked shallot, remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice, the chopped parsley, and a large pinch of salt in a spice grinder or small food processor. Purée.
- Remove lamb from the grill and let sit for 5 minutes. When potatoes are done, transfer them to a heated platter. Slice the rack of lamb between the ribs and arrange the ribs on the potatoes. Drizzle the meat with the parsley-lemon sauce and serve.
- Serves 2-3.
© 2026 Copyright Cocoa & Lavender
Mad Dog
December 6, 2025 at 4:54 amThat looks stunning!
Cocoa & Lavender
December 6, 2025 at 9:39 amThanks, Mad Dog!
angiesrecipes
December 6, 2025 at 5:21 amLooks beyond delicious! I also just had some lamb 🙂 and already thinking of making some lamb shanks for my next meal LOL..
Cocoa & Lavender
December 6, 2025 at 9:40 amLamb is my favorite meat, Angie! Lamb shanks for dinner here this week, too!
Barb
December 6, 2025 at 7:53 amThe lamb sounds very appetizing but it’s those crispy potatoes that look amazing!! What a wonderful pairing!
Cocoa & Lavender
December 6, 2025 at 9:40 amI agree — the potatoes are ridiculously good. We could eat them by themselves for dinner!
Mimi Rippee
December 6, 2025 at 8:49 amSuch a beautiful presentation. I love lamb so much. Husband doesn’t. Sad face. I think I’ve told you before – I don’t go to your wine zine because so many wines don’t even get shipped to Oklahoma. So it gets depressing.
Cocoa & Lavender
December 6, 2025 at 9:42 amWe have a tough time getting good wines here — luckily, we have some places that will ship to AZ! So sorry your husband doesn’t like lamb. I used to start every relationship with a food compatibility quiz… seriously. If they didn’t like or were really picky, the relationship was a non-starter.
Ellen S.
December 7, 2025 at 6:54 amI’m with you, David. Barring serious allergies and possibly one or two very minor food aversions, if a guy is (I should say was, since thank goodness I’m not in the dating market anymore) too picky an eater he would have no chance with me. My husband and I often comment what a good thing it is that we are perfectly-matched in that department! 🙂
Cocoa & Lavender
December 7, 2025 at 7:02 amThank you, Ellen! Yes, of course allergies and a couple of aversions are easy to get around, but when the list goes into double digits, I’m out! And lucky for you and me, we are both out of the dating pool. Have a great holiday season! I hope it’s not too busy.
Melissa
December 6, 2025 at 9:02 amThis looks wonderful–but I don’t have a gas grill and only consider dealing with my ancient charcoal grill if the weather is beautiful and I’m cooking for a crowd. Any thoughts for cooking the lamb indoors?
Cocoa & Lavender
December 6, 2025 at 9:48 amHi Missy — I get it. When I did charcoal, I would never have done it for the two of us!
For the oven, preheat to 500°F. Slice and season the potatoes with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Spread them in a 9×12-ish pan. Roast for 10 minutes, then add lamb on top. (For this method, don’t trim the lamb too well — you want the fat to drip down and flavor the potatoes.) Roast 10 minutes then reduce heat to 400°F. Roast 18-20 minutes longer. Remove from the oven and let lamb sit for 5 minutes before slicing between the bones,
Melissa
December 6, 2025 at 11:28 pmThanks! Will do!
Cocoa & Lavender
December 7, 2025 at 7:00 amLet me know how it comes out! I’ve never roasted with all the herbs on it, so it will be interesting to see how they react.
Eha Carr
December 6, 2025 at 3:05 pmAbsolutely love the look of this . . . and lamb is my favourite meat also. Still have language problems with the US 🙂 ! We never grill outdoors – that is what the superhot grill drawer on every kitchen stove is for 🙂 ! Works like the barbecue outside but way easier . . . well, you do not get the smoky flavour! Lovely plating as usual.
Cocoa & Lavender
December 7, 2025 at 6:59 amThanks, Eha! I’m not sure what the language issue is, but I’m glad you like the recipe.
sherry
December 6, 2025 at 6:48 pmwe don’t eat lamb but we love a potato :=) Happy festive season to you David (and Mark).
sherry x
Cocoa & Lavender
December 7, 2025 at 6:59 amHappy all the holidays to you too, Sherry!
FEL!X
December 6, 2025 at 10:41 pmGood idea to marinate the rack like Souvlaki!
Since I have someone at the table who doesn’t accept rosé roasted meat, I cut from the whole marinated rack some chops and barbecue them separate. Proof of love!
Cocoa & Lavender
December 7, 2025 at 6:58 amThat is true love, Felix! But at least that way you get the lamb cooked the way you want it!
Frank | Memorie di Angelina
December 7, 2025 at 7:59 amA gorgeous dish, David. I make a homey lamb and potato dish this time of year but this makes that combination so very elegant.
David Scott Allen
December 7, 2025 at 8:34 amThank you, Frank. Lamb and potatoes are a great combination. When I do my rack in the oven, I roast it on potatoes so the lamb fat infuses the potatoes — it’s fantastic and has the extra bonus of not having lamb fat spatter all over the oven!
Ben | Havocinthekitchen
December 8, 2025 at 8:48 amThat rack of lamb looks absolutely stunning – juicy, flavorful, and perfectly seared on the outside. And those potatoes alongside? A true feast.
Cocoa & Lavender
December 8, 2025 at 9:01 amThank you so much, Ben — it was a great combination! I was really happy with the results!
Raymund
December 9, 2025 at 12:41 pmThat lamb looks incredible! I really like how you borrowed the souvlaki-style marinade for the rack, it’s such a clever twist.
Fran @ G'day Souffle'
December 10, 2025 at 8:19 amWhat a creative idea substituting rack of lamb for skewers! That way, you can get that perfect pink color inside the meat!
Inger
December 11, 2025 at 7:03 pmThere’s nothing like rack of lamb! Between vacation and getting sick after, I was so far behind on your recipes. But it made for a lovely evening of catching up! Only downside is now I’m hungry!
David Scott Allen
December 16, 2025 at 4:19 pmThanks for catching up, Inger! Sorry to make you hungrey… I think rack of lamb is up there with my all-time favorite meals.
Valentina
December 18, 2025 at 10:53 pmSuch a stunning plate, David. And what a scrumptious meal – every element. The crispy potatoes, the tender lamb and the punch of green. Spectacular. 🙂 ~Valentina
Cocoa & Lavender
December 19, 2025 at 1:15 pmThanks, Valentina — without the green, it’s a very brown plate!