JJ Johnson's Lamb Fried Rice Is The Missing Piece To Your Holiday Spread

There are some holiday staples that are impossible to pass up. However, spending year after year featuring the same handful of dishes can get a little ... stale. We connected with chef JJ Johnson at Food Network's New York Food & Wine Festival to get his insight into how he spices up his own holiday dinner spreads. Chef Johnson is well known for the culinary creativity he brings to gumbo, as well as African Caribbean cuisine, which typically features a blend of bean, rice, and potato-based dishes from different cultures. So his favorite festive dish is something you'd see in Mediterranean homes.

According to Chef Johnson, cinnamon-spiced lamb rice is the perfect dish to serve and share when celebrating the holidays with family. Not only is it a one-pot dish, which might help save some stove and counter space in a bustling kitchen, but the savory and nutty flavor profile is sure to compliment your other holiday heavy hitters. Chef Johnson, who first had a version of this dish in Tel Aviv, says he enjoys combining cinnamon, ground lamb, pistachio, and dates for a sweet and savory table moment. "I think it's one of those dishes that you could put on the table during the holiday season, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, whatever you want to do, and ... it'll be a showstopper," he related.

The tricky part of holiday menu setting is coming up with delicious meals that complement all sorts of palates. JJ Johnson recognizes that not everyone is into the gamey nature of lamb, and offers chicken, beef, or even plant-based ingredients like cauliflower or beyond meat as easy ground lamb swaps. "[You may be] like, 'I'm not a lamb lover. I can put chicken in here. I could put beef. Or maybe I go plant-based,'" he said. "That is one of those. The rice is going to absorb all this flavor. And I think you can get really excited about it." With the rice taking in the complexity of the garlic, onions, and Middle Eastern spices, your protein essentially plays second fiddle to the flavor explosion. 

This vibrant dish is very similar to our celebratory lamb biryani recipe. However, it's a bit easier to make considering the ground lamb cooks much quicker than chopped lamb shoulder. Overall, Chef Johsnon's dish only takes 45 minutes from start to finish, whereas lamb biryani can take over two hours. The other benefit of using ground lamb is it's much more budget-friendly — a huge plus when you're cooking for a big group while also shelling out holiday bucks for gifts and travel. To put it in perspective, a pound of ground lamb will cost you around $10, and you only need a half-pound for JJ Johnson's recipe. So if you're sick of turkey and looking for a way to switch things up this holiday season with a delicious conversation starter, don't hesitate to give Chef Johnson's cinnamon-spiced lamb rice a try.