Active Time: 10 mins Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 4 servings
If you’ve never cooked lamb chops, this recipe is a great place to start. It comes together in just 20 minutes, and delivers big, rich flavors from the lamb chop, the sizzled garlic, and the lemon, parsley, and crushed red pepper flakes in the pan sauce. Thyme imparts a natural earthiness with the seasoning, and the flavors come through beautifully with the right Cabernet. Serve these lamb chops with roasted potatoes, salad, or bread to soak up the sauce.
How to cook lamb chops
Shop for lamb chops at a butcher, farmers market, or grocery store. You’ll likely choose lamb from the United States, New Zealand, or Australia, that’s been grain- or grass-fed. You can purchase a rack of lamb and separate the chops or buy them pre cut and packaged. You can cook two- or three-chop cuts together before separating when the meat is lean.
This 20-minute method keeps it simple: Season each lamb chop, cook with garlic in a pan on the stove over medium-high heat until browned, and flip both ingredients to brown the other side to medium rare in about 2 minutes. Make a pan sauce with the cooked garlic to pour over the lamb before serving.
Ingredients
- 8 (1/2-inch-thick) lamb loin chops (about 2 pounds fatty tips trimmed)
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 10 small garlic cloves, halved
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons minced parsley
- Crushed red pepper
Step 1
Season lamb with salt and pepper and sprinkle lightly with thyme.
Step 2
In a very large skillet over medium-high, heat olive oil until shimmering. Add lamb chops and garlic; cook over moderately high heat until chops are browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes.
Step 3
Turn chops and garlic. Cook until chops are browned and garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes longer for medium-rare. Transfer chops to plates, leaving garlic in skillet.
Step 4
Add water, lemon juice, parsley, and crushed red pepper to pan and cook, scraping up any browned bits stuck to bottom, until sizzling, about 1 minute.
Step 5
Pour garlic and pan sauce over lamb chops and serve immediately.
Suggest pairing
Robust, dark-fruited California Cabernet: 2018 Turnbull Napa Estate
