Lamb Chops with Gremolata
Lamb and Syrah is a seamless pairing, and this dish is impressive and easy to execute—leaving your guests wowed with little effort. Lamb has a mildly gamey flavor that lends itself to the wood and earth elements in the Syrah.
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total time: 40 minutes
Servings: 8
Ingredients
Lamb Chops
- 3–4 racks lamb chops
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled
- 4–6 sprigs thyme
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter or canola oil
- Fleur de sel or sea salt to taste
- Freshly cracked pepper to taste
Gremolata
- 1 cup fresh oregano leaves (picked off stem)
- 1 cup fresh parsley leaves
- 1–2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- Pinch of fleur de sel or sea salt
Optional Sides
- 2 bunches broccolini
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- Fleur de sel to taste
Hasselback Potatoes
- 6 Yukon Gold potatoes
- 2 tablespoons melted butter or olive oil
- Fleur de sel to taste
- Freshly cracked pepper
Method
Gremolata:
- Finely chop the parsley and oregano, and mix in the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt.
- Adjust the seasoning to your taste.
- Set aside until ready to use, or up to 1 day.
Lamb Chops:
- Trim the excess fat off of the lamb chops and score the fat so that it renders once seared.
- Preheat oven to 420°F. Place a pan over medium-high heat and add clarified butter or oil. Meanwhile, season the lamb with salt and pepper. Place the lamb chops fat side-down in the pan, sear them until golden brown all over, and rotate them as needed to achieve caramelization (which happens when they’re golden brown on all sides).
- Using a separate casserole dish or oven-safe pan, pour in the thyme and garlic cloves, and place the lamb chops on top. At this point, the lamb chops can be set aside for up to 1 hour if needed.
- Cook the lamb chops in the oven at 420°F for approximately 12 to 15 minutes to reach an internal temperature of 125°F.
- Remove the lamb chops from the oven and baking dish, and allow them to rest on a cutting board or room-temperature surface for 5 to 10 minutes. This will allow the juices to go back into place and retain in the meat upon cutting it.
- Cut the lamb chops, sprinkle with fleur de sel, and drizzle with gremolata or serve on the side.
Alternative Cooking Method - Grill the lamb chops. Upon finishing the grilled lamb chops, season the broccolini with olive oil and sea salt and grill for an easy side dish.
Hasselback Potatoes (Pictured):
- Preheat oven to 400°F. Peel, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly slice each Yukon Gold potato, being careful not to cut all the way through.
- Place the potatoes on a baking sheet and drizzle them with olive oil or melted butter. Season them with salt and pepper and cook at 400°F for approximately 30 minutes until golden brown.