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!

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And when I saw these lamb ribs at the butcher, I couldn’t resist.

First, the meat was temptingly rosy and shot through with thin ribbons of creamy white fat. Second, I’ve never made bone-in country-style lamb ribs before and I love to try new things.

I mean, look at them.

After doing a bunch of reading, I decided to treat them like I do their pork counterpart: low and slow in the oven.

I smeared them with a modified gremolata, a garnish with minced parsley, garlic, and lemon peel that’s traditionally used on osso buco. Along with those ingredients, I included olive oil, rosemary, sage, a little oregano, and the juice from that lemon.

And all I can say is: Yum. The meat was rich but not greasy. The tang of the lemon was a good balance to the garlic and herbs, which formed a beautiful brown crust.

A note on the lamb
I bought the smallest package they had, which had four ribs in it. The recipe below is scaled for this amount. It could serve two to four as an appetizer, or one (hungry mouse) as a main course.

Herb Encrusted Lamb Ribs

1 1/2 lbs. country-style lamb ribs
7 garlic cloves, peeled
2 1/2 Tbls. sage, minced
2 1/2 Tbls. rosemary, minced
1 Tbls. oregano, minced
1 Tbls. parsley, minced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
6 Tbls. olive oil
freshly cracked black pepper
salt

Serves about 4

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Grease a medium-sized ovenproof dish and set aside.

Prepare the herb marinade
Mince the garlic and put it in a medium-sized bowl.

Add the sage, rosemary, oregano, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, and olive oil. Mix with a fork to combine all ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

It should look about like this:

Apply the marinade
Using your hands, rub the herb marinade liberally over each lamb rib until it’s covered. Set each rib into your prepared pan.

When you’re done, your ribs should look like this:

Up close:

Roast and enjoy!
Put these in the oven at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours. Exact timing is going to depend on how thick your ribs are. They’re done when the juices run clearish and the meat comes away fairly easily when pulled at with a fork.

Serve immediately.

***
Copyright 2008 The Hungry Mouse™/Jessica B. Konopa. All rights reserved.

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