A Utah ski and spa resort restaurant proves that healthy can be rich and delicious.
Sometimes you can’t help but be leary of “healthy” foods. Thoughts of bland, raw grub might come to mind. But not at the Canyon Breeze restaurant at Red Mountain Resort in Ivins, Utah, where chef Chad Luethje and his staff excel at creating and serving magnificent dishes that maintain a healthful profile. Take, for example, the gluten-free habanero mango-glazed shrimp with coconut-kaffir lime-inflused black rice and a green onion crema, or the following recipe, courtesy chef Luethje and the Red Mountain Resort.
Pepita-Crusted Rack of Lamb
(With minted purple potatoes and sun-dried tomato cabernet demi-glace)
(Serves 4)
Sun-Dried Tomato Cabernet Demi-Glace
¾ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
6 sprigs thyme
2 teaspoons canola oil
¼ cup shallots, julienned
2 cups cabernet sauvignon
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, refreshed in water and julienned
3 cups veal stock
Purple Neufchâtel Mint Mashed Potatoes
3 cups purple potatoes, peeled and sliced
3 ounces Neufchâtel cream cheese
¼ cup mint leaves, cut into thin strips
¼ cup 1 percent low-fat milk
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pinch kosher salt
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper
Pepita-Crusted Rack of Lamb
1 teaspoon herbes de Provence
⅓ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), raw
¼ teaspoon fresh tarragon leaves
1 teaspoon fresh basil leaves
1 teaspoon fresh oregano leaves
1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
¼ teaspoon fresh rosemary
¼ cup Dijon mustard
1 8-rib frenched rack of New Zealand lamb, about 1½ pounds
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons canola oil
For the demi-glace: Loosely wrap black peppercorns and fresh thyme sprigs in a piece of cheesecloth. Tie shut with a piece of butcher twine or other string.
Preheat saucepan over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons canola oil to the pan. Add shallots and sauté over high heat until they start to soften, 1 – 2 minutes. Add red wine to the pot to deglaze, and then add the rehydrated sun-dried tomatoes and the parcel of thyme and peppercorns; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until liquid is reduced to ¼ cup in volume. Add veal stock and cook until reduced to a syrupy consistency (thick enough to coat the back of a spoon). Remove cheesecloth bundle and discard. Keep sauce warm until ready to serve.
For the potatoes: Place the peeled and sliced potatoes in a medium saucepan and add enough cold water to cover them by about 1 inch. Bring to a boil over high heat, and then reduce heat and cook at a low boil until the potatoes are fork tender (but not falling apart), about 20 minutes.
Remove potatoes from the water, place in a bowl, and whip with remaining ingredients until the cream cheese just starts to combine with the other ingredients. Keep hot until ready to serve.
For the lamb: Place herbes de Provence and raw pepitas in food processor. Pulse until they are rough chopped, but still recognizable as pumpkin seeds. Set aside.
Combine fresh herbs and half of the Dijon mustard in a food processor. Purée until herbs are completely chopped and the mustard is bright green. Add remaining mustard and process until fully incorporated.
Trim lamb racks of fat cap, and then season lightly with salt and pepper. Preheat sauté pan over high heat and add oil. Gently add the lamb and cook, turning until well browned, 3 – 4 minutes on the meaty side and about 1 minute on the bony side. Turn off heat and remove lamb from pan.
Brush each lamb rack with 1 tablespoon of the herb mustard, coating the entire rack except for the bare bones. Lightly crust the racks with the chopped pepita mixture and put the racks back in the sauté pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 – 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 1 minute.
To plate: Cut racks into 2-bone chops. Drizzle with sun-dried tomato cabernet demi-glace and serve with purple Neufchâtel mint mashed potatoes.
To learn more about Red Mountain Resort or to make reservations, visit their website.
