MONDAY NIGHT DINNERS 2: Lemon Herb Lamb Chops and Smokey Potatoes

People who don’t like lamb, love my lamb chops. So there. It used to be that Trader Joe’s or Costco were the best place to buy racks o lamb, but now a days they are pretty much expensive across the board, which is why I think lamb chops are a great Monday night dinner. They are a special treat, but they are super easy to make. You can buy your chops pre-cut or cut them from a rack as I do. I would even suggest that you have your butcher cut the rack into chops for you for free!

Arugula will be making many cameo appearances on my Monday night dinner posts because it is versatile, packed with flavor and compliments many main dishes.

The taters that I have chosen for a side have appeared on Tasty Bits before when I wrote about Pimentón de La Vera, A.K.A Spanish smoked paprika. If you don’t have Pimentón, your taters will still taste delish with a good amount of sea salt, onion powder, garlic powder and pepper.

Lamb Chops Ready to Go

 

LEMON HERB LAMB CHOPS

(serves two to three depending on the hunger)

One rack of lamb or 8 lamb rib chops
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh herbs: Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano
Juice of half of a lemon
1 Clove of Garlic optional (finely chopped)
Olive oil
Sea Salt & Pepper

HOW

Cut your rack into individual chops
Sprinkle chops with a generous amount of salt. Sprinkle with pepper
Mix herbs with 2 T Olive Oil and lemon juice
Place chops in a big baggy with the oil/herb mixture or in a container where they can coat, marinate and mingle for at least 20 minutes. 1 hour is ideal, but I have been known to toss and cook. That is life.
Preheat a frying pan at medium/high heat with a little bit of olive oil until hot
Place chops in the pan leaving a good amount of room so you don’t steam your chops
Flip after 3 minutes or when you see a nice brown color underneath
Flip over and cook for another 2 minutes for medium rare
Tip: Sometimes I get a good sear on both sides and then I place the chops in a little foil pouch to rest and continue to cook for a few minutes. You may also grill these chops.

Serve over wild arugula that has been tossed with a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper

SMOKEY TATERS

1lb Dutch Yellow or any small potatoes – 1.5 inch diameter
1 T Pimentón de la Vera
1 T garlic powder
1 T onion powder
3 T olive oil
Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.

HOW

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 450
Slice potatoes in half or quarters depending on size. Small cooks faster
Mix dry ingredients
Toss potatoes with oil, then add dry spices and toss to coat
Roast on a foil lined cookie sheet for 15 minutes… check for doneness, give a turn and roast for an additional 5-10 minutes depending on how brown and crispy you like them. Eat.

By |2018-10-03T11:15:58-04:00October 26th, 2011|

One Comment

  1. shan October 26, 2011 at 2:17 PM

    Just happened to pull some french cut lamb chops out for dinner tonight usually do them with just a little rosemary, but will try this tonight! Thank You! Perfect timing 🙂

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