Lamb with Whisky & Rosemary Butter

Last Fall, Elizabeth, her sister Janet and I took a trip to Scotland. One of my goals was to travel the Scottish whisky trail to learn more about (and to taste!) some good Scottish whisky. I did learn a lot; for one thing I discovered I really don’t like the “peaty” tasting whiskys--they are too smoky for me. We visited several distilleries, including Glenlivet, where we encountered the traditional Scottish cows (pronounced “coos”)--very shaggy in order to survive the tough Scottish winters.
I think Scotland also has more sheep than people. So I thought I would combine lamb and whisky into an interesting dish. Here is one I like.

Ingredients (for 4 people)

For the Lamb:

2 lamb loins, or a rack

1/4 tsp. fleur de sel

For the Rosemary Butter

1/2 cup of soft butter

2 Tbsp. whisky (+1 shot for the

chef)

2 pinches fleur de sel

1 tsp. fresh Rosemary, finely

chopped

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Directions

1) Season the lamb loin with salt and grill over medium heat for about 4 minutes on each side. Cover and leave to rest for approximately 5 minutes.

2) If lamb rack, season with salt and grill over medium heat for about 10 minutes on each side and finish in an oven pre-heated to 450 degrees for about 10 more minutes.

3) For the rosemary butter: Using the whisk setting on a hand mixer beat the butter for approximately 2 minutes until light and creamy. Add the whisky, the flour de sel, the rosemary and the cayenne pepper.

4) Slice the lamb and top with the butter.

Bon Appetit,
Alain Guichard