Monday, March 29, 2010

On the Lamb... Chop

I really enjoy lamb, but even tho all of England and Ireland (and the Falklands) are crawling with sheep, it still seems to be rather expensive state-side. Luckily this week lamb chops were affordable, so we got to treat ourselves.
Here's a simple rundown of our Lavender-Rosemary Lamb Chop Dinner.
Don't they just look like little Valentines of Deliciousness?

Well, they are.

I believe I got 1 1/2 inch thick chops, so bear that in mind if you buy thinner ones, they might not need as much cooking time.
Pat your chops dry and season them with salt & pepper to taste. (Tho not too much salt. See below.)
Preheat the oven to 400º
Then I heat some oil (evoo) in a skillet and crush some dried rosemary into it, as well as two cracked cloves of garlic so they infuse the oil. Once the oil is rippling, I remove the garlic cloves and put the chops in, seasoned-side down, and let them brown for about 4 minutes.
Season the other side of the chops before you flip them, and then let the other side brown for another  4 minutes. When they are done, pop your pan in your preheated oven for another 5 minutes. This should result in medium-rare chops.
I didn't season my lamb chops with too much salt before cooking because I finish them with this Lavender Rosemary Salt that my sister-in-law gave me for Christmas. It's a really nice way to finish the dish and make things a little different. (No I am not paid to endorse their salts. I just like a lot of them. I've tried their Bloody Mary Salt as well and it's fantastic on eggs.)
Rounding out our low-carb dinner was a healthy pile of just-nuked peas. I really am glad sometimes that while Mike is very hard to cook for in some ways, he's very easy to please in others. Tiny tender baby peas and some über juicy lamb chops were a perfect meal.

Dinner done.

5 comments:

Melissa's Espresso Shot said...

Yeah, the much awaited (for me anyway) lamb recipe! It sounds tasty and not too difficult. I don't have any of those seasoning salts though, so I guess I'll just stick to rosemary. I can't wait to try this next time I buy lamb.

Chuck said...

The bad news: lamb is the one meat I can not eat. The taste is just not right for me.

Good news: I'll bet you can tell me something else I can cook this way cause it sounds delish!

RocknRollGourmet said...

Melissa - The seasoning salt is just a finishing flair. If you use rosemary (dry - crush it between your fingers, fresh - dice finely) and garlic and kosher salt, it should still come out brilliantly.

Chuck - This same combination would be lovely on pork chops or pork loin.

Living Shallow, Living Well said...

This looks so good- I think I come on here just to look at the fabulous pictures.

RocknRollGourmet said...

Wow, thanks LSLW. I keep saying that I need a better camera to take pictures with, as my point-and-shoot is from 2005 and beginning to show its age, and other food blogs look like they have professional lighting, instead of trying to snap a shot while actively cooking.
I'm glad they're still appetizing to some.