Yummy Supper by Erin Scott

Author:Erin Scott
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Publisher: Rodale
Published: 2014-12-23T23:00:00+00:00

serves 3 or 4

marinade and lamb:

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 pounds double-thick rib lamb chops (2 ribs per chop)

for cooking and serving:

4–6 fresh fig leaves (optional)

Flaky sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Lemon wedges

tzatziki:

½ cup plain yogurt

½ cup peeled, seeded, and finely chopped cucumber

1 or 2 cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped

1–2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

A dozen fresh mint leaves or dill fronds, chopped

Sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

At least 2 hours before serving, assemble your marinade by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, rosemary, and garlic. Place the lamb in a glass container and coat with the marinade. Cover and refrigerate. One hour before cooking, remove lamb from the fridge to allow meat to return to room temp.

Also try to make the tzatziki ahead of time: In a small bowl, mix together the yogurt, cucumber, garlic, lemon juice, chopped herbs, and salt and pepper to taste. Let the sauce chill in your fridge. Tzatziki only gets better as the flavors mingle.

When you’re ready to cook your lamb, preheat the oven to 400°F.

Place a large cast-iron skillet on the stove top over medium-high heat. When the pan is nice and hot but not quite smoking, brown all sides of the chops, 4 to 5 minutes per side. (I don’t find it necessary to add any additional oil to the pan for browning, as some oil from the marinade will still be clinging to the chops.) To ensure a good sear, take care not to crowd the meat during this phase; brown the chops in batches if necessary.

Line a shallow baking dish with fig leaves, if you have them. Nestle the seared chops in the leaves. Place the baking dish in the hot oven to finish cooking the lamb. In minutes, your kitchen will be filled with the aroma of roasting fig leaves. Depending on the thickness of your chops, they may be done after only a few minutes in the oven, and shouldn’t need more than 15 minutes. I have come to rely on touch testing my meat for doneness. There is that feeling of just the right give when meat is medium-rare. If you trust your fingers, go for it. Also feel free to use a meat thermometer: The chops will be juicy medium-rare when the internal temp reads 130° to 135°F. Let the chops rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.

Season the chops with flaky sea salt and generous grinds from the pepper mill. Serve the lamb in the baking dish with the fig leaves still underneath. Toss some lemon wedges into the dish so that everyone can squeeze the juice over the chops. Pass tzatziki around the table, and feel free to scoop it right onto the chops if you wish.

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