Recipe: Mediterranean Lamb Chops with Roasted Veggies
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featured in Newsletter #003: Welcome Baa-ck!
We love lamb in this house, but what I love the most about this weeknight staple of ours is how vegetable-forward it is. This dish was so good, it made me actually start to like olives and feta (two ingredients that I've never been able to get along with in the past). Here's what you need to know:
Buy lamb loin chops, not the ones that look like a little lollipop. You might have to get a butcher to help you cut off the rib, but Costco and Whole Foods both sell lamb loin chops (Costco at a notably cheaper price for similar quality).
If there's an ingredient to ball out on, it's the tomatoes. The better the quality, the more payoff there'll be in flavor—they're really the star of the show here.
Cook the onions until they are shiny and starting to soften and turn translucent. It's the key to making them sweet and not punchy.
Use Kalamata olives. They taste so much better than any other type.
Use an instant-read meat thermometer for the best temperature gauging!
recipe
easy | time: 30-40 min
ingredients
makes 2 servings
4 lamb loin chops
1 medium sweet red onion
1 bell pepper (red/orange if you like it sweet, green if not)
2 medium heirloom tomatoes
½ small bunch Italian (flat-leaf) parsley, leaves and tender stems only
â…“ cup Kalamata olives, pitted
3 oz crumbled feta cheese (add more, if you'd like)
black pepper
extra virgin olive oil
paprika
salt
directions
Preheat oven to 400ºF (Roast setting, if you have it).
Prep the onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes: wash and slice them into wedges. Our onion and bell pepper wedges are 1/2 inch thick and our tomatoes are 1 inch thick. Roughly chop the parsley leaves and olives. Set the tomatoes aside in a small bowl, and add the olives and parsley and toss to combine.
Prep the meat: Pat dry the lamb loin chops and sprinkle salt, pepper, and paprika on both sides. James eyeballs it but I like to use about 1/2 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/4 tsp black pepper.
Over medium-high heat in oven-proof skillet, heat about 1 tbsp of olive oil. Add the lamb loin chops and brown them in the pan (1 min on each side). Add the onions and bell peppers and put the skillet into the oven.
Cook in oven until lamb has reached an internal temperature of 140ºF for medium-rare (around 6-8 minutes). The pieces may cook unevenly so check up frequently on them. As they are done, take them out and set them aside on a plate and cover with aluminum foil.
When the lamb is finished, add the tomato mixture to the skillet and toss a few times to combine with the onions and peppers. Put the skillet back into the oven and roast until the onions and peppers are soft enough to be pierced by a fork and the tomatoes are warm (about 4-5 minutes).
Plate and enjoy!