As is probably fairly obvious to anyone who reads The Usual Saucepans regularly, or has read through some of my recipes, that I’m quite a fan of baking and desserts. I’ve a bit of a sweet tooth. They by far out number the main courses on offer if you scroll through the tags (I’m working on a proper index, promise - it’s just taking a while, mainly because I spent the weekend in the sun).
Don’t though be fooled into thinking that I only like the sweet things in life. Oh no. That would mean no room for meats and cheeses - and that simply sounds like hell (I think it’s fair to say I would not last long in a vegan retreat). But with summer approaching I think it’s high time I got some more summer-y main courses on the blog, especially some that can be done al fresco on a BBQ!
I’ve previously mentioned how I adore lamb, so it was definitely not an accident that I decided to pick up some chops at the Stockbridge market on Sunday. My culinary mind has had its sights firmly trained on a couple of recipes from one of my favourite cook books - Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries - for some time now, so I thought it was high time I made one.
My slight problem was which to choose. There was one with mint and lemon and another with feta and thyme. I couldn’t decide which to go for at all and with time running out before I had an ‘engagement’ with my flatmates, the sun, the little festival in the Meadows and some beer, I had to make a decision. I decided it was time for a recipe mash-up.
Yup, like its musical counterpart, my mash-up took some of the most interesting parts of both recipes, altered it according to what I actually had in the house and combined it into one of the best dinners I’ve had in ages. I had lamb chops with feta, mint, lime and crushed potatoes, drizzled with a balsamic reduction. Heaven.
After a really tough day going from the market to the little festival across the road at the Meadows (a big grassy park in central Edinburgh), what I needed was something quick and easy, but didn’t compromise on taste. This dish may take a little thought in advance, but that extra ten minutes and a couple of hours of marination will not be wasted.
Lamb Chops with Mint & Feta
This recipe is a mash up of a couple of recipes from Nigel Slater’s Kitchen Diaries. It takes a couple of hours to marinate and then about ten minutes in a hot pan, or a bbq grill. It serves two.
Ingredients
2 lamb chops
1 small red onion
75g feta cheese
3 tbsp olive oil
1 handful of fresh mint
2 tbsp lime juice
Salt and Pepper
New potatoes for two (number will depend on size)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Directions
Muddle about three quarters of the mint and put in a bowl/bag along 2 tbsp olive oil, the lime juice and a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix the marinade together and add in the lamb chops. Ensure the chops are covered in the marinade and leave for at least two hours to let the flavour sink in.
When you’re ready to cook it put the potatoes on first - they will take the longest. Thinly slice your onion root to tip and soften using a large frying pan (or in a tinfoil dish, if on a BBQ) and the remaining olive oil. When they are begining to soften add the two chops and about half of the marinade.
The lamb will take a different length of time to cook depending on its thickness and how you like yours done. You can tell how cooked the lamb is by prodding the top with a finger, the ‘squishier’ it feels, the pinker the inside will be. If will take longer on the BBQ. If the pan is getting dry add the remaining marninade juices before anything burns.
Once the chops are cooked remove from the pan and add to the plates with the potatoes. There should still be some juices left and into this crumble in the feta and the mint. Some of the feta will melt but remove the pan from the heat once about a third of the cheese has lost its shape. Gently combine the onions, juices and feta in the pan, then add to the plates.
Finally pour the balsamic vinegar into the pan to deglaze it and return to the heat to reduce the balsamic. Once about a third of it is gone, drizzle over the meat.
Sit in the sun and eat away, preferably with a decent glass of wine.
Edinburgh-dwelling, baking and food-obsessed, twenty-something adventure enthusiast. Runs on liberal amounts of coffee, cheese, cake and gin; bribable with same.
