Friday, December 24, 2010

Christmas Eve Dinner

One of the best things about the holidays is that there is more time to cook! I made good use of my day off work making a special Christmas Eve dinner for Van and I.

I found a rack of lamb on sale at Whole Foods and decided that was perfect for our dinner. I decided to use Emeril's recipe for mustard crusted rack of lamb. The lamb turned out really well and had a great flavor. The lamb was perfectly cooked on the outside, but the middle was more rare than medium rare. This worked out fine since it was more than Van and I could eat and after we reheat the leftovers they will be fine.

To accompany the lamb, I made Chef Charlie Palmer's Potato and Parsnip Gratin and sauteed broccoli with garlic and red pepper flakes. The gratin was sooo yummy. This was the first time that I have made a gratin from scratch and it was the ultimate comfort food. I splurged and purchased a really expensive Gruyère to use in the dish and I think it really took the dish to the next level.

Browning the Lamb

Lamb before adding the Mustard and Breadcrumbs

Potato and Parsnip Gratin Before Baking

Gratin after Baking


Lamb after Baking