Bon Appétit (January 2016)
We feel the same way about lamb that we feel about new episodes of Downton Abbey: We don't want it every day, but when have it, we're reminded about how much we enjoy it.
We've made lamb a few times over the past couple months. it's lean and easy to prepare, and it's so flavorful that you don't need to do a ton to it to make it delicious.
When we've been futzing around with lamb on our own, we've followed this nom nom paleo recipe as a blueprint -- salt-and-pepper grilled lamb chops topped with an improvised chimichurri. (That preparation walks you through a chimichurri with mint, salt capers, red onion, red pepper, garlic and olive oil. It's wonderful, and it's also endlessly variable. Rosemary is great if you don't have mint, as is thyme. You can throw in an anchovy if you don't have capers. And on and on.)
These Spiced Marinated Lamb Chops with Garlicky Yogurt from Bon Appétit get their flavor in something of a reverse way: You marinate them in an herby yogurt for up to 12 hours and then cook them.
That approach is fine in theory, but in practice causes some real problems in the kitchen.
First, the good stuff: A nice twist about this method is that, as the recipe says, the yogurt marinade helps the chops take on color very quickly. You only cook them for 3 minutes per side, but they get nicely browned in that time. And the result is very good. The cumin, coriander, turmeric and allspice give the lamb a wonderful exotic flavor -- and an intoxicating aroma while you cook it. And the lemony-garlic yogurt is a delicious accompaniment.
But here's the bad: This dish made a hot mess of our kitchen. Oil splattered everywhere, the house got all smoky, and the yogurt marinade burned in the pan (perhaps we didn't wipe enough of it off each chop?). See, it's not all Instagram ideality over here. All that made us question if this dish is really any better than our more simple, straightforward attempts.
What about you? Got any favorite lamb chop recipes? Let us know in the comments!
Spiced Marinated Lamb Chops with Garlicky Yogurt
Bon Appétit (January 2016), recipe by Alison Roman
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(This photo: Alex Lau/Bon Appétit)
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups whole-milk plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
3/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 pounds rib, shoulder, or loin lamb chops, frenched if desired
2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
DIRECTIONS
Combine yogurt, lemon juice, and garlic in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper. Transfer ½ cup yogurt mixture to a small bowl and set aside for serving. Stir cumin, coriander, turmeric, and allspice into remaining yogurt mixture.
Season lamb chops with salt and pepper. Using your hands, evenly coat all sides of chops with spiced yogurt mixture (avoiding the bone if they are frenched). Let chops sit at room temperature 30 minutes, or cover and chill up to 12 hours.
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Wipe off excess marinade from lamb chops and cook half until nicely browned, about 3 minutes per side (the yogurt in the marinade will help them take on color quickly).
Remove chops from skillet and pour off fat (no need to wipe it out). Repeat with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil and remaining chops.
Serve lamb chops with reserved yogurt mixture alongside.
