Meat and Potatoes

Well, fans, I've been putting off posting because that wench who runs my IT department hasn't managed to make the camera work...but I shall put it off no longer!

Let's talk about last night's dinner. It was easy, taking less than 10 minutes of prep work. It was also super delicious.

Lamb chops, roasted broccoli, and hash browns.

Lamb chops:
3 loin chops (cause that's usually how they sell them at the market, and it's enough for two servings and two second helping. You will have to resolve who gets the bone.)
kosher salt
freshly ground pepper
1 teaspoon of oil, olive or vegetable
2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced but not crushed
1 teaspoon of rosemary leaves, chopped - can be fresh or dried, but if dried make sure they aren't 30 years old and still have some flavor!
1/4 cup of port, red wine, or pomegranate juice, or some combination of these
pinch cayenne pepper

I bought loin chops, are basically little lamby T-bones. These are a lot less expensive than the traditional rib chops - those are the ones that you normally think of when you think lamb chops. But loin chops
are pretty tasty, despite their greatest failing, which is not having a "handle".

Anyway, I've developed a pretty good technique for cooking them. It's simple and involves a metal saute pan that is oven safe and the broiler.

1. Take your lamb out about 30 minutes before you plan to cook it. Bringing it to room temperature results in good cooking. I'll explain why another time.
2. Preheat your broiler. Make sure that sucker is hot. If it is in the oven, make sure you place a rack up close. There is no point in using the broiler when the food to be broiled is far away. I mention this because I discovered my darling mother will use the broiler with the food 2/3 or the way down in the oven and is confused when the recipe doesn't work.
3. Prep your chops - if you wash them, make sure they are dry. Use liberal amounts of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides.
4. Heat up your pan on the stove top with a bit of oil in it. I used olive, cause that's what I had. You can, and probably should, use vegetable oil as it has a higher smoking point. Heat it up until it is smoking.
5. Stick the chops in the smoking hot pan, then stick 'em under the broiler. Three minutes. Flip and give them another three minutes. This gave me a nice medium rare chop. If you want rare, do two and two.
6. Remove the chops to a plate, and pour off some of the fat that has collected in your pan. Put it back on the stove top and add 2 cloves of finely diced garlic and 1 teaspoon of rosemary leaves, chopped.
Stir for a moment until the garlic is slightly browned, then add 1/4 cup of liquid. I recomend port or red wine or pomegrantate juice, or some combination thereof. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper, let it reduce slightly, and serve over the chops.

Notes: You can use rib chops as well. I would recomend 2 minutes per side, as they tend to be smaller than loin chops, unless they are double wide.
You can also crust them with rosemary before cooking, but I find that can char and not impart enough flavor.
You can also use this technique for a lamb rib roast - use a dutch oven to sear the outside, especially the fatty sides, then close the lid and cook it in the oven at 400 degrees for 17-20 minutes. Use more liquid and allow it to reduce to create a delicious sauce.
If you have a meat thermometer, use it to take the meat to 135 degrees for medium rare, 125 for rare, and 145 for medium. I will not discuss cooking it beyond that.
I personally don't do this, because I am veguely kosheresque, but if you want decadence, add a little dab of butter (1 teaspoon for the chops, 1-2 tablespoons for the rack) to the pan juices right before you are done, and swirl it in. This is called to "monter au beurre", and gives a delicious and creamy finish to a sauce.

Amazing Broccoli:

2-3 heads of broccoli - this is usually one bunch held together by a rubber band
4 cloves garlic, sliced
4 teaspoons of olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1 lemon
optional: 1/4 cup of fresh parmesean or romano cheese
optional: 1/4 cup of pinenuts, toasted


Heat the oven to 425 degrees.
Trim the broccoli into largish florets. Make sure it is very very dry! This is key.
Toss the brocolli with t teaspoons olive oil, salt, pepper, and sliced garlic. Spread on a baking dish or cookie sheet and cook for 20-25 minutes. It should get a tiny bit charred and the stems should be soft. You can stir halfway through, but it's not necessary.
Meanwhile, zest the lemon. When you remove the broccoli from the oven, pour over the remaining 2 teaspoons of olive oil, the lemon zest, and the juice of half a lemon.
You can add cheese or pinenutes, or both, to really guild the lily. It is amazing. I could eat the whole thing!

Hash Browns:

2 medium sized potatoes
2 cloves of garlic, minced (yes, there is garlic in every component of
this dinner)
kosher salt/fresh ground pepper
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped parsley or dill

Wash and dice the potatoes. You can peel them if you think that's necessary, mine were thin skinned so I just scrubbed a bit. Boil them in a little salted water until fork tender.
In a non-stick pan, hea the oil over medium high heat and get a little color on the potatoes. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper. Keep browning until the garlic is cooked, and serve sprinkled with fresh herbs.