When I was a kid, Easter dinner meant one thing: we were having ham. I’m not grumbling; my mom was a great cook and I don’t mind having ham once in a while, but my kids aren’t big ham fans. So, being the good mom I try to be–and to avoid the dissatisfied wails of my rug-rats–I had to make a few adjustments.
One of those was finding something new for Easter dinner. Lamb was a perfect choice. It’s special in the sense that most people don’t eat it often, and yet it’s easily accessible. You can find lamb in various cuts in most grocery stores, especially around Easter time.
The good news about lamb: it’s super easy to make. It’s one of those meats that can be cooked rare, medium, or well. (Which makes it almost foolproof.) And it’s delicious.
When I was working on this recipe I tried to combine some of my favorite flavors for lamb. These spices bring out lamb’s most succulent qualities. And the aroma of garlic, rosemary, thyme, and oregano will switch everyone’s taste buds to on position.
If you’ve never tried lamb before, this will be the perfect recipe to start with. The cooking method is simple, the flavors are familiar and comforting, and I’ll walk you through the whole process. So let’s go, because as Peter Cottontail would say, “Easter’s on it’s way”.
Herb & Garlic Crusted Lamb Chops
6-8 Lamb Loin Chops
1/3 cup bread crumbs
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh thyme, chopped
2 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 1/2 Tbs. fresh oregano, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
3 tsp. Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring chops to room temp before cooking. Mix bread crumbs, garlic, oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Pour onto the center of a large piece of aluminum foil. Baste each chop with dijon mustard on one side, place dijon side down in bread crumb mixture and baste second side with the mustard. Flip to cover other side with crumbs. Place all the chops on a plate, ready to cook and fold up the foil, with crumbs inside, and toss in the trash. (Easy clean up is one of my favorite ways to cook!)
Heat 2 Tbs. oil in a large pan. It’s important to remember when frying not to crowd your pan. Crowding can turn frying into sautéing. We don’t want that. We want nice, crispy, golden chops. Place chops in pan and cook until crisp and a rich, honey-amber color, about 2-3 minutes. Flip and cook on other side for the same amount of time. After browning, place the chops, still in the pan, in the oven. Cook for an additional 6-10 minutes depending on whether you want them rare, medium or well done.
* Note: if your pan has a plastic handle it can still be placed in the oven. Just wrap the handle completely in foil. This makes it oven safe up to 450 degrees.
When you take these out they will be juicy and tender, golden and delicious, and ready to stun your family or guests. Serve them up with the side dishes recommended in my next posts, and your Easter dinner will be complete. Hippity, hoppity let the holiday begin.
* This meal would be perfect with these other recipes from Our Kitchens:
Easy Homemade Bread
Buttermilk Herb Bread
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