Not one, not two, but three fabulous recipes for lamb chops. The first, Glazed Lamb Chops, is done in a cast iron skillet and came from FineCooking.com by Arlene Jacobs. The second was based on a sauce we used for our fabulous Bistecca with Fishy Herb Sauce. The third is by Giada De Laurentiis which Russ found using the In the Kitchen App, and is meant for a grill pan—although we haven’t gotten around to making this version yet…
Prepare to be bowled over by the first recipe. The Glazed Lamb Chops sauce is an unusual mix of pantry ingredients including Worcestershire sauce, anchovy paste, Angostura bitters, and honey. Totally worth making and not very difficult, this rich glaze provides sweet and tangy flavors and is very rich, savory and complex.
A small pet peeve of mine is when, if water is being used as an ingredient, than please itemize it. I added it to the list below because I accidentally omitted it when making the sauce. This became an issue when reducing the mixture to a thin glaze. Instead of 10 minutes, ours became almost a thick glaze in a minute—the taste was still fabulous however. From now on I plan to list water as an element if the recipe calls for it.
One small time saver is, instead of mashing raw garlic cloves, use garlic paste if you have some on hand. I always keep some homemade roasted garlic paste in the fridge for mashed potatoes or for instances such as this. On another note, we substituted some gorgeous loin chops in place of lamb rib chops. Keep in mind, they are thicker and therefore take longer to cook to a temperature of 130° for medium-rare.
Glazed Lamb Chops
Ingredients
- 4 medium cloves garlic, mashed to a paste
- 2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tbsp. Angostura bitters
- 2 Tbsp. honey
- 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1-1/2 tsp. anchovy paste
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 12 lamb rib, or loin chops (about 3 lb.)
- Kosher salt and coarsely ground black pepper
- 1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup water
Directions
- In a small bowl, combine the garlic, Worcestershire sauce, bitters, honey, vinegar, anchovy paste, oregano, and 1/3 cup water.
- Pat the lamb chops dry and season lightly with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy-duty (such as cast iron) 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot.
- Cook the lamb chops, flipping once, until browned and medium rare (130°F), 4 to 6 minutes total per batch. (Lamb loin chops are thicker and will take closer to 6-7 minutes per side.) You may have to cook them in two batches. Transfer to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
- Pour off the fat from the skillet, add the Worcestershire mixture, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring, until the mixture thickens into a light glaze, about 10 minutes.
- Return the chops to the pan and cook, turning them to coat with the glaze, about 1 minute more. Serve the chops with any remaining glaze poured over them.
Lamb Chops, Take Two
Originally this meal was going to be prepared for two of Russ’ former coworkers, Barb and Lorraine. Let’s just say the “winds of change” blew in and we had to postpone the party by a month. Good things come to those who wait, correct? Check out this link, Bistecca with Fishy Herb Sauce for the recipe.
Lamb Chops, Take Three
Recipe by Giada De Laurentiis
Grilled Lamb Chops
Ingredients
- 2 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 Tbsp. fresh rosemary leaves
- 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves
- Pinch cayenne pepper
- Coarse sea salt
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 lamb chops, about 3/4-inch thick
Directions
- In a food processor fitted with a metal blade add the garlic, rosemary, thyme, cayenne, and salt. Pulse until combined.
- Pour in olive oil and pulse into a paste. Rub the paste on both sides of the lamb chops and let them marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
- Remove from refrigerator and allow the chops to come to room temperature; it will take about 20 minutes.
- Heat a grill pan over high heat until almost smoking, add the chops and sear for about 2 minutes.
- Flip the chops over and cook for another 3 minutes for medium-rare and 3 1/2 minutes for medium.
Oregano-Marinated Tomato Salad
Marinating sliced heirloom tomatoes in salt, pepper, olive oil, and fresh oregano intensifies their flavor and brings out their rich juices. With the addition of sliced shallot and red wine vinegar, it knocks this side dish out of the park. Be sure to use a high quality EVOO.
Oregano-Marinated Tomato Salad
Ingredients
- 3 lb. mixed heirloom tomatoes (preferably various colors and sizes), cut into wedges or halved if small
- 2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1 med. shallot, sliced very thin
- 2 Tbsp. oregano leaves (from about 4 sprigs)
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- Toss tomatoes, oil, vinegar, shallot, oregano, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
- Let sit, tossing occasionally, until juicy and deeply flavored, at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour.
Accounting for Taste 