Lovely little lamb chops with an easy pan sauce.
Pulling out of the freezer a small vacuum-sealed package, I thought I was defrosting a little ribeye steak. But when it was fully defrosted . . . no, it was little baby lamb chops. The sealed pouch edge had kind of curled up and I never saw the L-A-M-B I’d written on the label. I had a day to think about what I’d make with them, and recalled an old recipe I used to make often. I thought I’d posted it here – lucky for you, I had not. You need this recipe – especially if you like lamb.
Back in the early days of my first marriage, we shopped at the military commissary, and lamb shoulder chops were very inexpensive. Growing up, my dad wouldn’t eat lamb – no way, no how – so I’d not had lamb but a couple of times in my life up to that point. Once in a great while, if my dad was on a business trip, my mom and I would have lamb. She missed it too! You can make this recipe with either shoulder chops (cook them longer) or the super-tender loin lamb chops.
But, then move forward to the 60s, as a newlywed, I didn’t have very many cookbooks – only a couple were given to me upon my marriage, but I’d acquired a military wives’ cookbook. Over the years I bought several of them, and I still refer to them now and then. They’re pretty tattered and spotted, the pages having gradually turned a bit on the yellow side. This recipe came from one of those cookbooks.
In this instance I had beautiful little lamb chops – they may not look small in the photo, but they were. Maybe only 4 small bites per chop. The recipe indicates one chop per person, but that kind of depends on how big the chops are. You’ll need to use your own judgment as to whether your guests would eat one or two of them.
The chops are seasoned with salt and pepper and briefly sautéed in a frying pan in EVOO. I took them out of the pan when they’d reached about 110°F. They cook some more later on, so I knew I was safe removing them at that temp. Then you cook the pan sauce – green onions, celery, broth, thyme, and lastly some mushrooms, minced up finely. Then the chops are added back into the pan and cooked until they’re almost done (about 125°F or more), then you add a dollop of sour cream to the top of each chop. Cover it and let it simmer slowly for about one minute just to take the chill off that sour cream. Onto plates they go, with some of that pan sauce spooned in and over them. Garnish the sour cream with more green onions and some chopped parsley.
What’s GOOD: lovely flavor – oh, I do love lamb chops. I should have them more often. I think these came from Costco and I froze them in little 2-chop vacuum seal packages. So that means I probably have a couple more of them in the freezer. The pan sauce is just perfect with the chops, and the little dollop of sour cream adds a nice richness and color to it all. It’s a keeper of a recipe, and easy to make too.
What’s NOT: only if you don’t have all the ingredients to do the sauce – like the mushrooms, for instance. They add a lovely richness to the sauce profile. Not a thing to complain about this recipe.
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Snow-Capped Lamb Chops
Serving Size: 4
4 lamb loin chops — 1/2″- 1″ thick
1 tablespoon olive oil salt and pepper
8 ounces low sodium chicken broth — or beef broth
1 teaspoon dried thyme — if fresh, triple quantity
1/3 cup celery — finely chopped
1/3 cup green onions — finely chopped
1 cup mushrooms — finely minced
2 tablespoons parsley — minced
1/3 cup sour cream
Minced parsley and green onion, for garnish
Note: If you prefer more of a gravy, thicken the liquid with a small shaken-up mixture of flour and water (about 1 tablespoon flour to 3 ounces of water). Add this after cooking the vegetables and stir to prevent sticking. Add more broth if needed as you cook it to your desired consistency.
1. Brown the lamb chops in olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Drain off any fat from the pan, then add the green onions, thyme and celery. Simmer for about 6-8 minutes until the chops are just cooked through. Use an instant read thermometer and remove them once they reach about 115-120°F. Remove the chops and place in a warm oven while you prepare the sauce. The chops will continue to cook as they sit – they will reach about 130°F to be medium-rare.
2. To the pan add mushrooms and parsley and cook until the mushrooms are cooked through, about 3-4 minutes. Simmer until the liquid has reduced somewhat. Add the lamb chops back into the pan. Place a large dollop of sour cream on top of each chop, cover and simmer for about a minute until the sour cream has warmed through. Place the lamb chops on individual plates, spooning some of the pan sauce on and over each chop, then add additional green onions and parsley sprinkled on top of the sour cream.
Per Serving: 383 Calories; 32g Fat (75.7% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 4g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber; 80mg Cholesterol; 87mg Sodium; 2g Total Sugars; trace Vitamin D; 49mg Calcium; 2mg Iron; 507mg Potassium; 230mg Phosphorus. Exchanges: .
elizabeth
said on August 30th, 2020:
Carolyn, Thank you for taking the time to post your book reviews. I’m currently enjoying, We Must Be Brave. Do you have any favorite podcasts to recommend? Elizabeth
Well, I listen to several – The Tech Guy (about technology, obviously), Milk Street, Crime Junkies. I used to listen to Books on the Nightstand (am not sure it’s still broadcasting). So glad you are reading We Must Be Brave. Great book. . . carolyn t