Grilled Lamb Chops

From the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis

Introduction

This is an anchor entree on many fine restaurant menus around the country. The chops may be offered with Middle Eastern spices, or rubbed with garlic and olive oil, or encrusted with cracked pepper and coarse salt, or marinated in teriyaki sauce. However they are done, lamb chops grilled over coals or a gas grill yield some exceptionally fine eating. In this preparation, we use Dijon-style mustard, a marvelously versatile seasoning ingredient. When blended with olive oil and a fresh herb, it provides an appealing flavor addition to the richness of lamb. Try these with scalloped potatoes or a rice pilaf, and a green salad.

Ingredients

Steps

1. Prepare a charcoal fire (or light the gas grill) and spread the coals when they are covered in a white ash.
2. Use a chef’s knife or boning knife to trim nearly all the visible fat from the edges of the chops (this will help control flare-ups on your grill) and place on a plate or platter large enough to hold them in a single layer. In a small bowl, mix mustard, olive oil, rosemary, and a few grinds pepper. Using a pastry brush, spread mustard mixture over both sides of chops.
3. Cook chops on a covered grill, turning once, until an instant-read thermometer registers 110°F to 120°F for medium-rare, about 5 minutes per side.

Notes

• If you have no way to grill outdoors, try broiling the chops. Set them on a rack in a broiler pan to which you have added 1/2 inch water (this prevents dripping fat from smoking up your kitchen). Position the pan so the chops are 4 to 5 inches below the flame or broiler element and cook as above. Total cooking time is likely to be several minutes longer than on a grill.
• Vary the herb. Fresh or dried thyme or sage are good choices. Or, skip the mustard-herb mixture and just press a little very coarsely ground pepper into the chops, lightly salt, and grill.

This content is from the book The Basic Gourmet by Diane Morgan, Dan Taggart, Kathleen Taggart, and Georgia Vareldzis.