Blackstone Rack of Lamb with Blood Orange Relish & Cheesy Polenta
Make Blackstone rack of lamb with blood orange relish and creamy cheesy polenta, inspired by Last Holiday and cooked on a 22-inch griddle.
Spiced Rack of Lamb with Blood Orange Relish over Cheesy Polenta
Directions
1. Prepare the Spice Bundle
Combine the parsley stems, bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon sticks, juniper berries, whole peppercorns and star anise in cheesecloth and secure with kitchen twine.Set aside while you prepare the lamb.2. Sear the Rack of Lamb
Preheat one zone of the Blackstone to medium-high.Pat the rack of lamb dry, coat lightly with olive oil and season generously with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.Place the lamb directly on the hot griddle and sear on all sides, including the fat cap, until you've developed a deep golden-brown crust.Remove the rack from the griddle and set aside.3. Build the Spiced Sauce
Add the carrots, celery, onion and garlic directly to the Blackstone where you seared the lamb.Cook for 6–8 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften and caramelize.Transfer the vegetables to a large pan placed directly on the Blackstone.Add the red wine, orange zest and dried currants and allow the wine to reduce for about 5 minutes.Add the spice bundle, chicken broth and fresh orange juice. Bring everything to a gentle simmer and allow the sauce to develop and reduce.4. Finish the Lamb
Return the rack of lamb to a medium to medium-low section of the Blackstone.Continue cooking and rotating the rack for even cooking, periodically spooning some of the spiced cooking liquid over the lamb.Cook until the lamb reaches your preferred doneness. For medium-rare, pull the lamb at approximately 125–130°F and allow carryover cooking to finish the job.Rest the rack for 10–15 minutes before slicing.5. Reduce the Sauce
Remove and discard the spice bundle.Strain the vegetables from the cooking liquid for a smoother finished sauce.Continue reducing the liquid until it's rich, concentrated and glossy. Finish with fresh lemon juice and adjust the seasoning as needed.Spoon some of the finished sauce over the rack of lamb.6. Make the Blood Orange Relish
Lightly toast the fennel seeds on a clean section of the Blackstone until fragrant, then remove and cool.Remove the peel and white pith from the blood oranges and cut the fruit into bite-sized pieces.Combine the blood orange with the thinly sliced fennel, Granny Smith apple, parsley and toasted fennel seeds.Add 1 teaspoon of white wine vinegar and season with kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper. Taste and add additional vinegar if desired.Keep the relish fresh and cool until serving.7. Make the Cheesy Polenta
Place a saucepan directly on the Blackstone and add the whole milk, chicken broth and salt.Bring to a gentle simmer and slowly whisk in the instant polenta.Continue whisking until smooth and creamy.Move the pan to a cooler section of the griddle and fold in the mascarpone and Parmesan. Finish with freshly cracked black pepper and adjust the seasoning as needed.Keep the polenta warm and spoonable until you're ready to plate.8. Build the Plate
Spoon a generous bed of creamy cheesy polenta onto the plate.After the lamb has rested, slice carefully between the bones into individual chops and arrange them over the polenta.Spoon some of the concentrated spiced sauce over the lamb.Finish with plenty of the fresh blood orange, fennel and Granny Smith apple relish.Bright Spots Pro Tip 🔥
The blood orange relish isn't just a garnish—it's an important part of the dish. Get some lamb, creamy polenta and cold citrus relish together in the same bite. The acidity and freshness cut through the richness of the lamb and cheese and bring the whole plate together.Sometimes the best cooks start with a plan that doesn’t quite work out.
For my Great Griddle Off – Dish From a Movie submission, I wanted to recreate a dish inspired by Last Holiday. In the movie, lamb shanks with blood orange relish caught my attention immediately.
There was just one problem.
I couldn’t find lamb shanks anywhere.
I wasn’t ready to give up on the idea, so when I found a beautiful rack of lamb, I decided to improvise.
And that’s where this recipe really became mine.
Instead of slowly braising lamb shanks, I seared a rack of lamb directly on my Blackstone Adventure Ready 22″ Griddle and built a deeply flavored sauce using red wine, orange, currants, garlic, vegetables and warm spices like cinnamon, cloves, juniper and star anise.
Then came the component that originally made me want to tackle this dish in the first place: the blood orange relish.
Blood oranges are combined with fresh fennel, tart Granny Smith apple, parsley and toasted fennel seed to create something bright, crisp and acidic. Against the richness of the lamb, it completely changes the dish.
And underneath everything?
Creamy cheesy polenta.
I cooked the polenta in a pan right on the Blackstone and finished it with mascarpone and freshly grated Parmesan.
That gave me three very different components on one plate: rich spiced lamb, creamy cheesy polenta and bright blood orange relish.
And somehow, it all came off a 22-inch Blackstone griddle.
That’s one of the things I’ve come to love about griddle cooking. Smash burgers and breakfast might be where a lot of us start, but there’s really no reason to stop there.
This cook definitely pushed me outside my normal comfort zone—and that’s exactly why I wanted to do it.
Inspired by Last Holiday. Adapted when the original plan didn’t work. And ultimately turned into something of my own.
Until the next one… we’ll see ya! 🔥