So due to the complicate political landscape that is the Bahamas, there are certain countries that import excellent food stuffs, without having to pay the 40% import tariff that most countries, like the U.S., have to. One of these countries, is New Zealand.

New Zealand sends two truly awesome products to the Bahamas, one is butter, the other is superb rack of lamb. From personal experience, I can tell you that there butter is great, but their lamb is truly awesome.

A New Zealand rack of lamb can usually be found for around 6 bucks a pound, which I know isn’t super cheap, but given the quality of the meat, the lack of really good meat down here, and the fact that it’s price would be nearly double in the states, this lamb is quite the treat when you can find it.

We recently scored a 5 pound, frenched rack from the new Prime Island Meats store located 5 kilometers up west of town and this is the recipe we currently use to grill these bad boys. As an aside, I recommend a nice shiraz or a hearty cabernet to accompany this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 racks of New Zealand lamb (8 bones each)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary

Directions:

• Prepare mustard and rosemary mixture: Mix Dijon mustard, olive oil, lemon juice and rosemary in a dish.
• Remove lamb from the refrigerator.  Trim off any excess fat. 
• Sprinkle salt and pepper over the racks of lamb. 
• Cover the lamb with mustard mixture and let lamb come to room temperature, about 20 to 30 minutes.  Reserve a small amount of the mustard mixture for basting while on the grill.
• Preheat the grill to medium heat.  Clean and oil the grill.
• Place the rack of lamb on grill meat side up, with ribs away from direct heat.  Do not place the lamb directly over the heat, in this instance we are actually roasting the lamb on the grill.
• Cook for 14-20 minutes turning and basting occasionally with the extra mustard mixture.
• Remove the lamb from the grill when internal temperature is 130-135 for medium rare.
• Cover loosely with foil for 5 minutes before serving.

We enjoy this recipe with a side of wild, dark rice and a very crusty, very fresh, loaf of homemade bread. Good luck.