Roasted lamb chops served with mint and parsley chimichurri sauce.
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As we get older, birthdays seem to become less important. We’re not in such a hurry to grow up anymore. (“How old are you?” “Eight and three quarters!”)
The only thing I look forward to on my birthday is the dinner choices; it’s a family tradition.
When the day comes, there aren’t that many things that can compete with lamb chops. So delicate and lovely. Seared on the outside, as rare as possible on the inside.
In this recipe, we serve the chops with a mint chimichurri sauce, a kind of fluffy pesto, Argentinian, with fresh mint, parsley, garlic, vinegar and oil.
Perfect for Birthdays, Valentine’s Day and Valentine’s Day Birthdays. 🙂
Lamb chops with mint chimichurri
ingredients
Lamb loin chop:
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2 lb Lamb loin chopabout 8 individual chops, 1 1/2 inches thick
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1 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
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2 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
Mint Chimichurri:
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3 cloves garlicchopped (about 3 teaspoons)
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1 1/2 cups fresh mint leaves (spearmint), packaged
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1 1/2 cups fresh parsley sheets, wrapped
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3 tablespoon red wine vinegar
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3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
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1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
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1/2 Cup olive oil
method
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Sprinkle lamb chops with salt, leave to rest at room temperature:
Remove the chops from the fridge and sprinkle all sides with kosher salt. Let sit at room temperature for half an hour (for small chops) to an hour (for large chops) to reach room temperature.
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Make the Mint Chimichurri Sauce:
Either in a food processor or by hand, finely chop the garlic, mint, and parsley. Place in a bowl and stir in the wine vinegar, salt, and paprika flakes. Stir in the olive oil.
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Sear the chops on both sides:
Heat olive oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the black pepper on both meat sides of the chops.
When the pan is hot, place the chops in the pan, flesh side down. Leave space between the chops, don’t overcrowd the pan.
Don’t move the chops, just let them brown, about 2 to 4 minutes on each side depending on the heat of your pan and the size of the chops. Once browned on one side, flip them over and brown the other side. Quickly sear the fat and bone edges of the chops.
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Reduce the heat to finish cooking:
Once all sides are browned, reduce the heat and continue cooking until the lamb chops are to your liking.
Lamb is best rare (bright pink on the inside), never cooked more than Medium Rare.
The easiest way to test the doneness of the chops is to press them with your finger (see Finger test for checking meat doneness). You can also use an instant-read meat thermometer.
Remove the meat from the pan at 120° to 125°F for rare and 130° to 135°F for medium rare. Some of the chops may cook faster than others, so check them while they’re cooking and remove them from the pan when they’re done.
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Cover with foil and let rest:
Place the chops on a plate and cover with foil. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Serve drizzled with mint chimichurri sauce.
Links:
Lamb chops with porcini and rosemary crust from Taste Food
Lamb Chops with Fresh Herbs and Cognac Butter Sauce from The Hungry Mouse
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 672 | calories |
| 55g | Fat |
| 2g | carbohydrates |
| 44g | protein |
