Herb crusted loin lamb chops with roasted asparagus, potatoes, and mushroom gravy. I'm going to break up everything into cooking segments and then tell you how I managed to get everything to the table at the same time. This is a long one - so get a cocktail, sit down, and dig in.
INGREDIENT LISTS and COOKING INSTRUCTIONS for 4 servings:
4 Loin lamb chops (one chop her person - they are small but the sides make for a full meal)
- 4 loin lamb chops (1 inch thick)
- 4 cloves of garlic pressed
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (lightly crushed)
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (lightly crushed)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Mix your herbs, seasoning, and oil - rub the mixture onto your chop and let them marinate for 30-60 minutes.
I cooked mine on an indoor grill - you can also pan fry or grill outside. Cook your chops for 6-8 minutes per side (depending on your taste). That's it - they're done. Place them on a platter, cover with foil, and let them rest for 10 minutes.
Roasted asparagus
- 1-1.5 lbs asparagus
- Olive oil
- Salt and pepper
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Trim the asparagus and lay them out on a baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over them and season with salt and pepper. Roast in oven anywhere from 15-25 minutes (the timing depends on the thickness of the asparagus).
Potatoes
This category has lots of wiggle room. I roasted mine in a garlic butter sauce. You can make your own version of roasted potatoes or make mashed or not make potatoes at all and serve a salad instead.
Mushroom gravy
- 8-16 oz fresh mushrooms (sliced) - I used cremini - you can use whatever you have or like
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 finely chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (I used reduced sodium)
- 1/2 cup dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1.5 cups cold water
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley leaves
Melt the butter in a large skillet over moderately low heat, add the garlic and cook until it is a pale golden color. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened. Add the mushrooms and soy sauce and saute the mixture over moderately high heat, stirring, until the liquid the mushrooms give off is evaporated and the mushrooms begin to brown.
Add the wine and vinegar and boil the mixture until the liquid is evaporated. Stir the cornstarch mixture and add it to the skillet along with the sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil, stir, and simmer for 2-5 minutes. Stir in the parsley and season with salt and pepper. That's it, you're done.
Here is how I did it
1. Chopped, minced, and measured out all ingredients for all recipes.
2. Set the oven to preheat, prepared the potatoes and asparagus then started the mushroom gravy. Put the potatoes in the oven.
3. Set my grill to preheat, put the asparagus in the oven and finished the gravy (set the gravy aside on a low flame).
4. Grilled the chops while everything else was going on. While the chops were resting, I brought everything else to the table.
It was a really delicious meal. I know loin lamb chops are very expensive (that's why this is the first time I've had them in many years) but this meal is so worth the expense and so much more inexpensive to make at home. I think (not based on my cooking skill - just based on restaurant prices in general) this meal would probably go for something like $28 a plate and I made the whole thing to serve 4 for less than that.
If something is not clear or you have a question, message me.
Happy eating
K
