Herb-Roasted Veal with Blackberry Balsamic Sauce #ReVEALingExcellence

This post is sponsored by Cedar Springs Veal.

I have a confession to make…

Before creating this recipe, I never in my 31 years on this planet made or even eaten veal!

Growing up, my dad was a butcher. His dad (my grandfather) started a butcher shop called Boyer’s Meats, and I think everyone in our family worked there at some point!

My Pappy Boyer (third from the right, in the glasses) with some of his employees at their market stand.

My dad working at the butcher shop back in the late 90s.

They sold beef, pork, and even chicken, but not veal. So when I was a kid, we always had plenty of meat on the table for dinner, but never veal.

So, when I got the opportunity to work with Cedar Springs Veal from Mountain State Rosen, I had no idea what to expect.

I pondered what to make for a long time, but finally decided simple is best, so I roasted a rack of veal with a crust of herbs, then made a deceptively simple blackberry balsamic sauce to drizzle over the chops just before serving.

Oh mylanta! (As DJ Tanner would say… I’m not the only one who binge-watched Fuller House recently, right?)

I can’t believe I’ve been missing out on veal my entire life! This recipe was delicious! I couldn’t believe how tender and moist the meat was, especially since I roasted it, which can have a tendency to dry out most types of meat. This is definitely a new family favorite!

Here’s what the veal looks like straight out of the oven:

I wish you could smell this! I snapped this quick pic on my phone before serving it up. Jeffrey couldn’t wait a second longer to eat – our whole house smelled SO good!

An entire rack of veal is a lot for two people, so we had plenty of leftovers… and not a single bite went to waste. Usually, Jeffrey is sick of leftovers after a day, but he took veal with him for lunch several days in a row after I made this recipe. (Veal is super versatile for stews, stir-fries, and other meals if you have leftovers.)

On top of that, veal is a healthier option than many of its counterparts, according to the nutritional information provided to me by Mountain State Rosen. A 4-ounce chop, which is about 21 grams of protein, has about 180 calories and 10 grams of fat. Compare that to beef… 4 ounce of 85/15 loose ground beef has about the same amount of protein, but 240 calories and 17 grams of fat and a 4-ounce steak can have up to 350 calories and up to 30 grams of fat. Complete nutritional information is available here.

I also love that Cedar Springs Veal is responsibly raised. When I was growing up, we got all of our meat from the family business, and I did not realize that not all animals are raised in environments like the tiny farms in our community. These days, my eyes have been opened, and I do my best to choose meats from companies that are committed to ethically raising their animals and environmentally-responsible farming.

I’m a big believer that animals raised in healthier less-stressful environments leads to better-tasting meat, like Mountain State Rosen’s velvety veal.

Okay… back to this veal recipe.

Seriously, y’all I was so nervous to make this roast because I knew I would have to french the rack, and I’ve never done that before, even for lamb. I watched a lot of YouTube videos! Here are a few tips:

• Make sure you are using a really sharp knife. Nothing is more frustrating than a dull knife, plus a dull knife means you’re more likely to cut yourself.
• Do not try to go as fast as the experts in the YouTube videos. They french those racks in like, a minute. But most of the videos I saw were from professional chefs who have probably done this a million times. Go slow and don’t get frustrated that it takes you some time to get it done!
• It doesn’t have to be perfect. Your first time might be a little sloppy, but I promise you, it will taste good. You just want to get as much meat off the bone as possible so it does not burn.

As far as roasting the meat goes… timing is going to depend a lot on the size of your rack and how you like your meat. We had a medium-sized rack and I like things a little more well done than most people, so I roasted it for about an hour and 15 minutes. I recommend that you start to check with a meat thermometer at the 45-minute mark, and watch it closely after that until it is done to your preference.

And whatever you do… don’t skip the sauce! The herb-roasted rack is so tender and flavorful, so you could eat it alone, but the blackberry balsamic sauce takes it to a whole new level. It’s so luxurious tasty, and you won’t believe how easy it is to make!

A huge thank you to Cedar Springs Veal for providing this veal for this recipe as part of their #ReVEALingExcellence contest. If you want to try out this recipe, I highly recommend check out this map to find a location near you that sells Cedar Springs Veal products.

Here’s the printable recipe:

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Allison

Allison is one of the co-founders here at The PinterTest Kitchen. She also works as a content marketing consultant and freelance writer - find out more at AllisonBoyer.com.

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