Bon Appétit (April 2008)
A word of caution about this recipe: You might want to eat it alone. Otherwise, it could be kind of embarrassing when you tilt the plate up at the end of your meal to lick it clean.
Seriously, it's that good! The balance of the gamey, spicy lamb with the sweet cherry-and-port sauce is absolutely perfect.
This dish is not only really impressive on the table, but it's also incredibly easy to make. The most labor-intensive step is chopping up a shallot. The recipe says the full recipe takes 30 minutes start-to-finish, but we found that the dish came together even more quickly than that.
We served this with a curry couscous (which of course takes all of 5 minutes to make) and some steamed broccolini (also a cinch). All in all, it was an impressive, deeply-satisfying meal that came together in about half an hour.
And clean-up's a breeze, too, when you lick the plates clean!
Lamb Chops with Dried Cherries and Port
Bon Appétit (April 2008)
Prep: 30 minutes; Total: 30 minutes
Servings: Makes 2 servings
Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
4 4-to 5-ounce loin lamb chops
1/3 cup chopped shallots
3/4 cup ruby Port
1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
1/2 cup dried tart cherries
3 tablespoons cherry jam
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Chopped fresh mint or parsley
Preparation
Heat oil in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Add lamb to skillet; cook to desired doneness, turning often, about 10 minutes for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to plate. Pour off drippings from skillet. Add shallots to same skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add Port, broth, cherries, jam, vinegar, and cardamom; boil until cherries plump and liquid is syrupy, about 6 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over lamb. Sprinkle with mint.
