Curried Lamb Chops with Mint Yogurt Sauce

Adapted from Sara Foster’s Casual Cooking

In truth, I’ve only prepared lamb chops a few times. I am no expert at it, nor do I pretend to be. This is a delicious recipe and I hope that you will learn from my many mistakes here. I see the potential and if you execute properly, this is a standout meal. I might even go so far as to make this for guests next time, assuming I follow my own instructions to the letter. Let me also warn you that this is a Sunday evening meal. Do not attempt it on a Wednesday, people (Alicia’s mistake #1 of 42).

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lime
3 pounds rack of lamb (2 racks with 7 to 8 chops each)
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
For the Sauce:
1/2 cup 2% Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon honey
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon curry powder
Juice of 1 lime
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the broiler and set the rack in the middle of the oven.
Prepare the herb paste by combining olive oil, curry powder, mint, marjoram, orange and lime zest in a small bowl. Mix to blend. Rub half of the paste onto all sides of the lamb chops, concentrating on the meatiest parts and pressing the herbs into the fat to adhere.
Stand the lamb racks against each other (with rib bones together, crossing at top) in a roasting pan. Allow to sit at room temperature for 15 minutes before placing in the oven.
Set lamb on the middle rack of the oven under the broiler. Broil for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the outside is crisp. Remove the lamb from the oven and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Using a cutting board fit for working with uncooked meat, cut the racks into individual chops. Be sure to use a very sharp knife here (Alicia’s mistake #17). It will be very tough to neatly cut your beautiful lamb chops into individual pieces if you are using a butter knife or its equivalent. I got a bit lazy here, what with my dull knife and all, and made some of the chops into two-sies. Don’t do that. It will be hard to get the chops to cook properly in the next step if you cut corners in this way.
Brush the chops with the remaining herb paste on both sides. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and black pepper.
Heat a large, dry skillet over medium-high heat. Be sure it’s really hot before you add the chops. Sear the chops in the hot skillet, cooking them for just a minute or two per side. They should be browned on the outside and medium-rare on the inside. If you like them cooked to a higher temperature, let them sit a little longer. Remove them from the pan, place them on a platter and cover with foil while you work your way through the rest of the chops.
Serve lamb chops hot with the yogurt sauce on the side.
Quick Tips
1. I cut the sauce recipe in half here. We had a lot more sauce than was needed and found ourselves dipping raw vegetables in the leftovers for several days afterwards (not a bad use, really). If you are a sauce-loving crowd, double the recipe to make sure you have plenty.
2. Since the herb paste and the sauce have many of the same ingredients, make them at the same time to economize. Set the yogurt sauce in the refrigerator until you are ready to use it.
3. As I mentioned above, this is the third time I’ve made lamb chops in my life. Every time I think I’m done with them, my kids eat them up like there is no tomorrow and I’m reminded of why I once again return to find yet another version. They even slurped up the yogurt sauce.

Preparation time: 40 minute(s)

Cooking time: 15 minute(s)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Leave a Reply