Lamb and mint are a very traditional English combination. But the straight mint jelly that is often served with lamb is a little too sweet for our taste. Add some fresh lemon juice for tartness, a bit of cardamom for a touch of exotic aromaticity, and some butter to smooth the whole thing out, and you've got the makings of a great but very quick and simple pan sauce.
This recipe is also great on the grill. But since a hot fire, which is what you should use, is a bit hotter than the broiler even set on high, cook the chops for about 1 minute less per side.
Here we are calling for chops from the rib area of the lamb, the lamb equivalent of the Delmonico steak. Since these chops are relatively thin, we are using double-thick ones here, each containing two rib bones. Although not as expensive as loin chops, they are still going to set you back a bit, but they are really excellent little chops. A slightly less costly approach is to buy whole racks and cut them into 2-bone chops.
Other cuts you can use:
If you don't mind the expense, double loin chops are an excellent substitute in this recipe.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
For the sauce:
Preparation
Step 1
1. Preheat the broiler, set on high if you have a choice.
Step 2
2. Make the sauce: In a medium sauté pan, warm the jelly over low heat until it liquefies. Stir in the lemon juice and cardamom, then raise the heat, bring to a simmer, and simmer until the sauce is reduced by half, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cold butter a little at a time, swirling the pan to blend it into the sauce. Stir in the mint leaves and set aside.
Step 3
3. As soon as the sauce is done, cook the chops: Dry the chops with paper towels, rub them with the cut sides of the garlic cloves, brush with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Place them on the rack of the broiler pan about 3 inches from the heat source and cook until well seared on the outside and done to your liking on the inside, 5 to 6 minutes per side for medium rare. To check for doneness, nick, peek, and cheat: Make a 1/4-inch cut in the thickest part of the meat: it should be slightly less done than you like it. Remove the chops from the broiler and allow to rest for 5 minutes.
Step 4
4. Serve the chops accompanied by the sauce.
