a quicker-than-you-think grilled lamb chop dinner
I didn’t have anyone read this over so plz excuse any bad grammar you come across :-)
We made this for dinner one night when we were starving. Everything comes together in a little under 1 hour which is pretty quick for a meat and 2 sides kind of meal. I think it all worked really well together, but I will list each dish separately so if you just wanna make one of these things you can!
The trick to making this quickly is knocking out things in a particular order. The order I did this was:
salt the lamb chops. let them sit for at least 30 min at room temperature. if you salt them more than 30 min before you plan to make them, place them back in the fridge until you are 30 min away from throwing them on the grill. then take them back out to rest on the counter.
boil your potatoes in salted water.
while potatoes boil chop all your veggies for the meal and assemble your tomato cucumber salad. crush your fennel and cumin seeds and make your seasoning mixture for the chops.
drain your potatoes once they are fork tender.
make the herby tatziki.
season your chops with the fennel-cumin-oregano-garlic mixture.
start your grill and let it get hot (skip this if making it on the stove).
throw your cast iron on the grill and let it heat up. (if cooking on the stove start to get your pan for the potatoes and pan for your chops hot. medium high for both but don’t let the pans get so hot that they start to smoke. if this happens turn the stove off to let them cool a bit and then re heat the pans.)
start your potatoes in the cast iron.
once the potatoes start to crisp throw your chops on the grill next to the cast iron. (or in your other pan on the stove).
finish the potatoes and kale.
finish the chops and let them rest.
plate and eat!!
to plate: first i spooned some tatziki onto one half of the plate and spread it in a thin layer. top the tatziki with the potatoes and kale. place the chops on the other side and spoon the tomato salad on top of and next to the lamb chops.
ingredients——————————————
serves about 2. you might have some leftovers. double this to serve 4.
for the lamb chops
4 lamp chops ~1 inch thick
1.5 tsp fennel seeds
1.5 tsp cumin seeds or ground cumin
1.5 tsp dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
kosher salt (about 1 tsp per pound of meat)
for the herby tatziki
1 cup whole milk greek yogurt or labne
1 garlic clove, grated or finely minced
1/2 large cucumber, grated (it’ll be about 1/3 cup)
1 tbs chives, finely chopped
1-2 tbs dill, finely chopped
1-2 tbs mint, finely chopped
juice of 1 small lemon or 1/2 large lemon (plus more if needed)
salt to taste
2-3 tbs of feta (optional)
for the summer tomato and cucumber salad
1/2 pint sungold or honey drop cherry tomatoes, cut in half (these are hard to find unless its peak summer, regular cherry tomatoes work great too!)
1/4 red onion, sliced thin
1/2 cucumber, sliced in half lengthwise then thinly sliced into half rounds
2 tsp fresh oregano or 1 tsp dried oregano
kosher salt and pepper to taste
red wine vinegar and good olive oil to dress
for the crispy potatoes and kale
1/2 lb baby yukon or other small potato variety, cut in half.
2-3 tbs fresh oregano
1 tsp kosher salt (plus more if needed)
1/2 bunch kale, stems removed and torn into pieces
instructions ———————————————
for the summer tomato and cucumber salad
in a medium bowl combine the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and oregano. toss to combine.
just before serving season with salt, pepper, a few dashes of red wine vinegar, and a generous drizzle of good olive oil. taste and add more salt, vinegar, or olive oil as needed.
for the herby tatziki
in a small bowl combine the greek yogurt, garlic, cucumber, dill, chives, mint, lemon juice, feta (if using) and salt. mix to combine and taste for acid and salt. add more lemon juice and salt as needed.
for the crispy potatoes and kale
place the potatoes in a pot and cover with water. generously salt the water and place on the stove. turn the stove to high and let the potatoes come to a boil. continue to cook the potatoes for about 15 minutes (depending on the size) until they are fork tender. once tender, drain the potatoes.
place the potatoes in a medium bowl and toss with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tsp salt. pick about 1-2 tbs fresh oregano and toss with the potatoes.
get your cast iron really hot on the grill (or stove). once hot, toss potatoes into the pan cut sides down. if there is olive oil left in the bowl dump that in too.
cook for about 6-8 minutes until the cute sides start to turn golden brown.
once they start to crisp give them a toss and cook for another 5 minutes.
add in your kale along with a bit more olive oil and salt (careful not to over salt)
cook, tossing occasionally until the kale wilts and potatoes are golden and crisped. pull the pan off the grill and set aside until everything is ready to serve
for the lamb chops
generously season the lamb chops all over with kosher salt and let sit at room temp for at least 30 minutes. for best results, lamb chops can be salted a few hours in advance. place back in the fridge and take out 30 minutes before you plan to grill them.
add the fennel seeds and cumin seeds to a mortar & pestle and crush the seeds. and the dried oregano and garlic powder and mix together with a spoon.
if you do not have a mortar&pestle then you can chop the seeds with a knife. you can lay the knife on its side and gently crush the seeds underneath it by applying pressure with the palm of your hand and gently pushing the side of the knife forward over the seeds.get the grill rippin’ hot. or start to preheat your pan on the stove (medium high).
sprinkle the seasoning mix evenly over all 4 chops along with a bit more salt.
put the chops on the grill once it is very very hot and cook on one side, undisturbed, for about 3-4 minutes. flip chops and cook for another 2-3 minutes for med-rare or 3-4 minutes for medium.
let rest for at least 5 minutes before serving.
