Ingredients

The Bon Appétit recipe called for broiling the chops for 4 minutes per side but in my test the chops were a bit overdone (could have been my oven’s broiler temperature) and they lacked the crust you get when you sear meat.

The marinade was a keeper; even the overdone chops had a great flavor.  I tested another batch of the chops with the same marinade and this time fired up my cast iron skillets.

• Preheat oven to 400°.
• Carefully blot the marinade from the chops with paper towels.  You want a good sear on the chops and a wet chop will create steam.
• Heat the cast iron pan over medium high heat and then add a teaspoon of olive oil to coat the bottom of the pan.

[My searing technique:  heat up the dry cast iron over your flame for at least a minute or two to get it nice and hot, THEN add your bit of oil and let that heat up for another minute til a drop of water sizzles in the oil.]

• Sear the chops over medium high heat for 2 and 1/2 minutes per side (4 chops fit in my pan so I use TWO pans for 8 chops); then place the skillet with chops in the hot oven for another 2-3 minutes.

• Place cooked chops on your cutting board and let them rest for 5 minutes to absorb their juices.

This resulted in a perfectly tender, rare to medium-rare chop (a little bit of pink in the center.)

NOTE: Cooking times for lamb chops will vary according to their thickness; I always err on the side of rare because you can always put them back in (but you can’t un-cook them!)
I am a sucker for an herbaceous pesto, salsa or chimichurri and this one from the Chez Panisse Cafe Cookbook (via the Alexandra Cooks blog) is spectacular with the lamb.

Bread Crumb Salsa

Source: Chez Panisse Café Cookbook

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• kosher salt
• 1 shallot, finely minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/2 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped thyme (optional)
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained and minced
• 2 oil-packed anchovies, cleaned and chopped (I used 1 T. anchovy paste because that’s what I had; it worked fine)
• kosher salt to taste

Directions

>Heat a medium skillet over high heat. Add the olive oil. When the oil starts looking hot, add the bread crumbs and a pinch of kosher salt and turn the heat down to medium.

[Rebecca’s Note: In all honesty, I burnt the crumbs while I was checking my email and thus left them out. The salsa was still fantastic. If you don’t want the bread or don’t have the time; go ahead and skip them this time.]

• Meanwhile, place minced shallots in a small bowl and cover with the vinegar. Let stand for at least 15 minutes. [There is a reason Alice Waters does this; it mellows the shallots’ bite and subtly pickles them. Don’t skip this step; make a time allowance for it.]
• In a separate bowl, stir together the oil, chopped herbs, minced capers and minced anchovies.
• Before serving, add the toasted bread crumbs and macerated shallots to the bowl of oil and herbs. Stir to combine.

Roasted Carrots

This is my go-to recipe for cooked carrots. Roasting brings out the flavor and the method is hands-off so you can attend to other cooking matters (like searing expensive meat) and know your carrots are going to be just right.

Ingredients

• 6 large carrots, peeled (about a pound)
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 T. chopped parsley
• 1 T. lemon zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400°. In a baking dish, toss the carrots with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, until tender.

Sprinkle with chopped parsley and lemon zest.