We discovered in a recent show celebrating those spring favorites, ham and lamb, that it’s the American variety of lamb that often has a pronounced game-y flavor that some folks find unpleasant. Luckily for us, Chris Prosperi served chops from Australian lamb, and we were amazed. Of course, the lamb lovers at the table cleaned their plates, no surprise there. But even folks who claimed not to be fans of lamb ate every last bite and admitted the recipe (adapted from Food & Wine) converted them to the lamb camp. The Australian lamb camp, that is.
We paired this lamb with a beautiful Italian red wine called Madonna del Dono, Dolcetto d’ Alba, Frederick Wildman and Sons (distributor).
We tweaked an excellent recipe from Food & Wine, adding slightly more honey to the sauce and omitting the grapes entirely. If you can find it, lamb from Australia and New Zealand has a mild, less game-y, almost steak-like flavor that any meat-eater would enjoy.
| Servings |
| 4 people |
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We tweaked an excellent recipe from Food & Wine, adding slightly more honey to the sauce and omitting the grapes entirely. If you can find it, lamb from Australia and New Zealand has a mild, less game-y, almost steak-like flavor that any meat-eater would enjoy.
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Ingredients
- 1-1/2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 lamb loin chops about 1-1/4 inches thick (about 3 pounds in all)
- salt
- Fresh-ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 4 cloves garlic cut into thin slices
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 1-1/2 teaspoon honey
Servings: people
Instructions
- In a large stainless-steel or nonstick frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. Season the lamb chops with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Put the chops in the pan and sprinkle 1-1/2 tablespoons of the rosemary in the spaces between the chops. Cook the chops for 5 minutes. Turn and sprinkle the garlic in between the chops. Cook the chops until done to your taste, 3 to 5 minutes longer for medium rare.
- Remove the chops and garlic and keep in a warm spot. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the fat from the pan. Add the remaining 1-1/2 tablespoons rosemary to the pan. Reduce the heat and cook for several minutes.
- Add the wine to the pan and simmer 2 minutes. Stir in the garlic and any juices from the lamb, the honey, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and a pinch of pepper. Serve immediately. (We had ours with bacon-studded spinach and potatoes mashed with goat cheese).
