These are like little lamb T-bone steaks. They’re on the more expensive side, but I snatch them up when I find them on sale. Our butcher has been breaking down a lot of lamb lately, so I got these for a steal.
Like the lamb rib chops I made recently, these cook quickly, which means they’re a great thing to whip up for a more-elegant-than-usual weeknight dinner.
Cook them fast over high heat. (A quick sear on each side will do.) An easy pan sauce with butter, cognac, and a handful of fresh, chopped herbs rounds out this really simple�but memorable�dish.
Fresh, chopped oregano, tarragon, and parsley
What is a lamb loin chop?
Like I said, these little guys look like miniature T-bone steaks, with a bone running across the top and down the center. They’re thick, tender, and have a slightly stronger flavor than lamb rib chops. You might find them labeled Lamb Kidney Chops.
They’re small, so you want to count on two per person if you’re serving them for dinner.
A note on timing
I cooked my lamb loin chops for maybe 3-4 minutes per side, which gave me a medium rare-ish chop. Your final cooking time will depend on how you like your meat done, as well as the thickness of your chops.
Lamb Loin Chops with Fresh Herbs & Cognac Butter Sauce
3-4 Lamb loin chops
kosher salt
1 Tbls. olive oil
2 tsp. fresh oregano, chopped
2 tsp. fresh tarragon, chopped
2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 Tbls. butter
1/4 cup cognac
freshly cracked black pepper
Serves 2 for dinner or 3-4 as an appetizer.
Grab your lamb loin chops.
Season generously with kosher salt.
Put the olive oil in a non-stick pan. Heat it for a minute or two over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (it will shimmer a little), drop the lamb loin chops into the pan.
They should start to sizzle right away. Cook them like this, undisturbed, for 3-4 minutes. If the pan starts to smoke, drop the heat a little.
After 3-4 minutes, they should have a nice brown crust on the bottom. Flip them over. Cook them for another 3-4 minutes on this side.
After they’ve cooked for 3-4 minutes on this side, drop the heat to medium. Add the cold butter to the pan.
Pour in the cognac. (Be careful…there will be a big poof of steam and the cognac will immediately start to boil dramatically.)
Drop in the chopped herbs. Grind on a little fresh black pepper.
Stir to combine everything. As you stir, the butter will finish melting. Flip the chops over once or twice to coat them in the pan sauce.
Cook for a minute or two like this.
When the meat is done to your liking, transfer the chops to a serving platter and drizzle with pan sauce. Serve immediately.
Enjoy!
mmm cognac..mmm lamb..mmm cognac.
Wheee! My thoughts exactly!
+Jessie
Ok, that was some of the best food porn I’ve ever seen. Cognac, lamb and butter? Do you need a house boy?
Ha! Thanks, hon.
+Jessie
Ohh… I love Lamb and the use of the fresh herbs!
Thanks! I was so happy with this. All those fresh herbs = totally getting me in the mood for spring cooking (and planting my herb garden!).
+Jessie
ohh looks tasty, and I love that it’s an easy recipe but yet so elegant at the same time. Fresh herbs always give a dish a great unique taste
Thanks, honey! Yeah, this is really simple and fast for a weeknight.
+Jessie
My oh my Miss Jessie, that looks amazing. It must’ve smelled AMAZING!
Hehe, thank you, my dear!
+Jessie
This is awesome!
Thanks, Gail!
+Jessie
Oh Jessie,
I this reminds me of the steak butter in Europe well a little any ways.Sounds great!!
I will have to try this.
Cheers
Thank you, Bunny!
+Jessie
Lamb is probably my favourite red meat and I think your sauce would be a wonderfully tasty accompaniment to it. The cognac will really add deep flavour notes…..delicious!!
Hehe, oh it was super yummy! I love lamb, but it’s pretty expensive here in Boston, so I usually only buy it when it’s on sale.
Thanks!
+Jessie
This looks great Jessie! You are teaching me so much about cooking meat!
Wheee! Hooray for meat!
+Jessie
Couple of questions…….the lamb chops seemed awfully fatty to me was there a reason you did not trim them?
Also do you wash and pat dry first? Sometimes my chops have little bits of bone on them from the cutting process, so I usually give mine a quick rinse.(or a swipe with a paper towel)
Was there a reason you added the butter before the cognac? I thought maybe to deglaze the pan and burn off the alcohol you would add it before the butter.
I know you take the pan off the heat and add the cold butter but was just wondering why it has to be cold. Wouldn’t it have been better to remove the chops from the pan(to let them rest) then put them back in to coat after the sauce was made?
Just want to learn more…I do find your pictures very appetizing and informative. Thanks
Hey Kat! OK, let’s see.
The chops were fatty. I didn’t trim them because I like the flavor of the lamb fat in the sauce and don’t mind the extra fat. You could certainly take some–or most–of it off, though, if you like.
In terms of rinsing the meat, I tend to do it on a case-by-case basis, depending on how the meat looks and feels. I didn’t rinse these because they didn’t have a stitch of loose matter on them that I could see. If I had seen bits of bone, I definitely would have zipped them under cold water first, then patted them dry.
Butter first vs. cognac. Honestly, they go in basically at the same time, so I tossed the butter in first. You could add the cognac first.
OH, I just read something interesting about burning off alcohol…it doesn’t completely burn off during cooking. I’ll see if I can dig it up and post back here about that.
In terms of taking the chops out or leaving them in when you make the sauce…I left them in simply for convenience. You can take them out, if you like, but I’m not sure it makes a huge difference…and it saves you a dish, keeping this as simple as possible.
I always figure that the meat rests long enough in the few minutes it takes you to plate it and get it on the table.
Cheers (and keep the questions coming!)
+Jessie
Lovely lamb chops! Your sauce sounds scrumptious. I could eat this for breakfast.
Hehe, oh you’re a gal after my own heart. I could have these for breakfast, too!
+Jessie
These look amazing! Love the cognac butter sauce!
Thanks, Natasha!
+Jessie
Jessie did you say lamb with cognac and fresh herbs?…what a brilliant tasty-idea so beautiful, something to dream about!
Hehe…why yes, I did! Thanks, honey!
+Jessie
oh wow! it’s midnight here and I’d still totally eat one
oh wow! it’s midnight here and I’d still totally eat one
Oops…forgot to say great post! Looking forward to your next one.
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I found this site today when I googled Lamb Loin Chops, and tonight’s dinner will be your Lamb recipe and your Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus. I’ve already bookmarked the site to refer to with my other favorite cooking blogs. Thanks! Great job. Very professional and yet, still warm and inviting.
This recipe saved me right in the Whole Foods after I’d bought lamb loin chops on sale and had no idea what to do with them. I looked this up on my phone, took the chops home, and am eating it now. Delicious! Thanks.
I hadn’t made lamb before and I thought this sounded swell. I had some pretty thick pieces, so balanced them on their edges for a little bit before starting the sauce. I, uh forgot to the cognac, so I went with some red wine we had. It was delicious!
[...] the chops home, I really wasn’t sure what I should do with them and then I found this recipe: Lamb loin chops with fresh herbs and cognac butter sauce. Of course, I adapted a little (I didn’t have all of those fresh [...]
Great recipe! I just made it for dinner for my San Francisco foodie relative, served with roasted young potatos. It was quite a success. The only suggestion was to put less tarragon in proportion to other herbs, it came a bit strong. I would also cut on frying time if the chops are less than 1.5 inch thick.
So good! My first time making loin chops.
I marinated the chops a few hours in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dried thyme, and salt. I added the marinade to the pan with the cognac. The lemon was a nice foil for the butter. My only fresh herb was rosemary, which I pulverized into a paste.
My sauce turned out darker, probably cooked for longer. I smeared the top of each chop with some of the darkened herb paste.
Plate- and pan- licking good!