Remember how I was saying my youngest daughter loves all kinds of skewered meats? Turns out she likes anything she can hold on to and eat – like lamb chops, or in her words, lollipop meat 😀
Last month it was her birthday, so I decided to make this for her. Who needs cupcakes when you can eat lamb, right? She was thrilled, definitely my kinda kid.
I remember back when my husband and I lived in New Jersey, we’d go to this restaurant that sold the best lamb chops – tender, juicy, and spicy they were definitely worth the hour-long drive!
My dad loves to make lamb chops as well. In fact, I remember during Ramadan we’d have these as a post taraweeh meal that he’d serve with his famous garlicky hummus. It was the perfect treat to come home to and hang out with the family.
Try to cook these chops on a cast iron skillet or grill pan for best results. You may think lamb can’t be cooked to tender perfection in such a short time, but when you cook meat on very high heat, sear the sides, and rest it for a few minutes afterwards it makes for a tender, juicy lamb chop or steak.
Please read these tips before you make this dish.
Here’s the recipe :
1. You’ll need about 2 lbs of lamb chops with the fat trimmed. Make a marinade using 1/4 cup olive oil, juice of half a lemon, 3 cloves of garlic chopped, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp chilli powder and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Mix into the lamb and keep for at least 30 minutes or up to a couple of hours.
2. Heat a cast iron skillet on high, pour in 3 tbsp of oil.
3. Place the chops on the skillet, do not crowd the pan.
4. Cook the first side on high heat for 3 minutes until you see a golden sear, flip over the chops, lower heat to medium, cook for 5 minutes.
5. Add 1 tsp butter. Turn heat back on high and cook for one more minute.
6. Transfer to a plate, and cover loosely with aluminum foil for about 5 minutes before serving. Ta-da!
