I love ribs of all kinds. I think they are the perfect way to eat meat. My only concern is that they can be super fatty. I especially love lamb ribs. They are usually discarded at the butcher, but I really don’t know why.

My buddies in Japan don’t like lamb too much, mainly because it smells way too rich. I tend to agree with them when it comes to mutton, but the lamb we get in Australia is generally always spring lamb and this is the same lamb that is exported.

Spring lamb is way less full-on than older lamb or mutton. I like to cook the ribs almost to the point of falling off the bone, but I don’t take it all the way as I still want the joy of chewing some meat off the bone. I pull apart some lamb for the sandwiches then also serve some ribs on the side.

INGREDIENTS

5-6 rosemary sprigs
1 tablespoon salt
2 lamb rib sections, portioned into individual ribs
250g plain yoghurt
handful mint leaves, chopped
butter lettuce, to serve
radicchio leaves, thinly sliced, to serve
4 sourdough or soft white rolls

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 140°C.

Make a rosemary brush by tying together the rosemary sprigs with kitchen string.

In a jar or bowl, dissolve the salt in 250 ml water.

Roast the lamb ribs in a roasting tin for 3½ hours. Using the rosemary brush, baste the ribs with the salt water every 30 minutes.

Combine the yoghurt with the mint in a bowl.

Mix together the lettuce and the radicchio – I like an 80/20 lettuce to radicchio ratio.

Increase the oven temperature to 220°C for the last 10 minutes.

Cut the meat from the lamb ribs, remembering to leave a couple intact to chew on.

To assemble, put some salad leaves into each bread roll. Top with the shredded lamb, a dollop of minted yoghurt and serve with the lamb ribs on the side.

Recipe appears courtesy of Cooked.com.au.

This recipe first appeared in Hungry For That by Raph Rashid