A Nice Variation from Our Usual Grilled Lamb Chops

We love lamb chops and roasts… Many people we know don’t care for this type of red meat and the unfamiliar taste associated with lamb.  Perhaps they sampled a bit of ‘older’ lamb during their youth…aka mutton! 

In any case we eat lamb chops on a fairly regular basis…at least a couple times a month.  Usually, I just add some salt, pepper and rosemary or thyme, let them sit in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and then I pop them on a hot grill for a few minutes…

These beautiful lamb loin chops were purchased at Costco.  I was just going to do my usual grilling exercise but Laurie had a better idea.  She’d noted a recipe for “Seared Lamb Chops with Lemon-Mustard Pan Sauce” that was published in the December/January 2016 issue of “Fine Cooking Magazine”. (p.34-35) Wise husband that I am, I decided to follow her suggestion!

As per the instructions, I began by sprinkling all sides of the chops with salt and pepper.  

The recipe called for me to heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat in an ovenproof 12-inch skillet. (We used grape seed oil) Next I cooked the chops until golden brown on both sides.  The recipe called for a cooking time of about 4 - 5 minutes in total for 1 inch thick chops.  Our chops were about 1 ½” thick so I cooked them for another minute or so…

Next, I moved the chops to a plate and lowered the heat to medium.  Then we added 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon of chopped thyme to the skillet and cooked the mixture, stirring it until fragrant. (5 – 10 seconds) Next we added a cup of dry white wine and cooked, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the skillet.  Then we whisked in 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 1 tablespoon of country-style mustard and 1 teaspoon of light brown sugar. (We used Splenda brown sugar) and cooked the mixture for 2 more minutes.

Once the mixture was completed in the oven-proof skillet, the chops were put back in the pan and they went into a pre-heated oven (375 degrees Fahrenheit) where we roasted them for about 10 minutes.  The objective was that they would be medium rare when finished… 

Once the chops had been roasted the requisite 8 – 10 minutes, we removed them from the oven and tented them with foil on a plate while we completed the sauce… The final addition to the sauce was a quarter cup of heavy cream. 

We stirred the sauce over medium-high heat until the sauce thickened slightly. (It took about 3 or 4 minutes)

We plated the chops with a generous helping of asparagus (drenched in Amish butter).  That sauce that we’d been working on was poured over the finished chops… The recipe called for a tablespoon of chopped chives for garnish but I don’t think they would have added much to the finished product.  The lamb chops were outstanding and this was an excellent meal!  We will replicate this meal in the not too distant future…

Here are the ingredients as printed in Fine Cooking Magazine:

• 1 Tbs. olive oil
• 8 lamb loin chops, preferably about 1 inch thick (We did 4)
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped garlic
• 1 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
• 1 Tbs. country-style mustard
• 1 tsp. light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tbs. finely sliced fresh chives

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for dinner.  Have a Terrific Thanksgiving Holiday!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave