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+ ‘Do’s and Don’ts’, tips & ideas for cooking your lamp chops

SERVES: 4
PREP TIME: 10 mins
COOKING TIME: 5 mins for sugarsnap recipe; 10 mins for chops
DIFFICULTY: easy
IDEAL FOR: midweek meal, spring/summer easy meal
BUDGET: ££

Tender, flavoursome and juicy

I love lamb chops.

I have memories from childhood of scooping out the marrow… yum.

Lamb chops are a great, quick midweek meal as well as a lovely treat.

They are rich in flavour so don’t need a lot of fuss to enjoy.

They aren’t the cheapest cut, think of them like the lamb equivalent of rib-eye.

So you need to cook them well.

Types of lamb chops

The most popular types of lamb chops are loin and rib chops.

Lamb loin chops are the ones that look like mini T-bone steaks

Lamb rib chops are the individual chops cut from a rack of lamb.

Sometimes (mainly in restaurants) these chops are “frenched” i.e. they strip the fat and meat off along the bone, leaving only the meat at the end.

Personally, this meat along the bone is some of the tastiest so I would never buy it “frenched”.

How to cook lamb chops: Do’s & don’ts

Do’s

  • Do grill
  • Do bring the chops to room temperature and pat dry before cooking
  • Do pre-heat your griddle or heavy based frying pan until it sizzles when you add a drop of oil
  • Do season just before they go into the pan
  • Do cook over a high heat turning the chops only once after a rich, golden crust has formed
  • Do cook on each side for 4 to 5 minutes for medium rare (or approx. medium-rare cook, or 57 – 63oC/138 – 145oF)
  • Do add a large knob of butter to the frying pan or griddle at the end and spoon over the chops
  • Do rest on a warm plate for at least 5 minutes

Tip:

  • Lamb should be stored in the fridge and covered for up to a few days, or freeze

Don’ts

  •  (personally) Don’t “French” the chop i.e. don’t scrap off the lovely meat and fat along the bone
  • Don’t add oil to your pan… lamb has a lot of fat on the outside so sit it on it’s side when you first put it in the pan and the fat will render
  • Don’t crowd the pan otherwise they will ‘steam’ instead of fry
  • Don’t pair lamb with rich flavours as they are rich, try flavours like lemon, mint, mustard

Flavours that go with lamb chops

All around the world there are varying flavour combo’s you can use, including: 

  • capers, rosemary and/or thyme, or served with redcurrant jelly or mint sauce
  • garlic, olives, anchovies, lemon, basil
  • cinnamon, saffron, chilli, cumin
  • cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, ginger, lime, cumin, curry paste, garam marsala, yogurt

And lamb chops are really good at taking a marinade.

I’ve chosen a very simple, fresh dish to go with your lamb chops.

Give it a go.

If you have any great side dishes to go with lamb, leave a comment.

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Sugarsnap and peas with mint dressing (& grilled lamb chops)

A great side (or as a salad) to go with grilled lamb chops
Course Main Course, Side Dish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4 people
Cost ££

Ingredients

  • 250 g sugarsnap peas (topped and tailed)
  • 100 g peas (I used frozen)
  • 1/4 cup mint leaves (loosely packed) to add at the end

Mint dressing

  • 1/4 bunch of mint leaves (and stems)
  • 80 ml sunflower oil or grapeseed oil (basically a fairly neutral tasting oil)
  • 50 ml white wine vinegar
  • 3 tsp castor sugar
  • 1/2 garlic clove, finely grated/crushed
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard (optional)

Instructions

Mint dressing

  • Bruise the mint with the side of your knife then add to a small saucepan with oil over a medium heat.
    Heat it for 2 – 4 mins or until you see bubbles just start to surface.
    Then take off and cool to room temp. Strain the oil into a small bowl and discard the mint leaves.
    In a larger bowl, add the rest of the ingredients and whisk until the sugar dissolves. now, add the oil and whisk to combine it all.

Sugarsnap and peas

  • Blanch your sugarsnap and peas in boiling water until bright green (usually takes about 2mins).
    Refresh them in iced or cold water and strain.
    Now add them to the bowl with the mint dressing, add the fresh mint leaves, season to taste and leave for a few minutes to marinade, then serve with your grilled chops.
    (*How to cook chops Do's and Don't in my post – link below in Notes)

Notes

How to cook lamb chops do’s and don’ts
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