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By Root 464 0

Place the chops on the grill over medium-high heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Rotate the chops 90 degrees to create beautiful crosshatched grill marks; continue to cook for another 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the chops over and repeat this process on the second side. If the chops start to burn, move them to a cooler part of the grill. Stand the chops up and grill the fat edge—you want to get it nice and crispy and release the lovely aroma of the fennel pollen. Remove the chops from the grill and let them rest in a warm place for 8 to 10 minutes before serving. The meat should be pink in the middle and very juicy.

Juicy pork chops? Who knew!!!

Rack of Lamb Crusted with Black Olives

SERVES: 6 • TIME: ABOUT 30 MINUTES

I’m a big fan of nice, thick lamb chops—and I’m an even bigger fan of nice, thick lamb chops deliciously browned all over! That’s exactly what you get with this recipe. Since you remove two bones from an eight-bone rack, these babies are thicker than a normal lamb chop. And, because you sear the chops on both sides—and the fat edge—before schmearing them with the lovely olive purée and finishing them in the oven, the inside stays tender and juicy, and the outside gets a beautiful, delicious, brown crust. Why is that so important? Because brown food tastes good!

MISE EN PLACE

1 cup kalamata or gaeta olives, pitted

½ bunch of fresh oregano, leaves finely chopped

1 clove garlic, smashed

Zest of 1 lemon

Pinch of crushed red pepper

Extra virgin olive oil

1 8-bone rack of lamb

Kosher salt

1 In a food processor, combine the olives, oregano, garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper. While the machine is running, drizzle in enough olive oil to create a smooth paste. Taste it—it should be olive-y and delicious!

2 Preheat the oven to 425°F.

3 Using a sharp knife and working from either end, remove the second and seventh bones from the lamb to make it a 6-rib rack; then cut 6 even chops, season them with salt, and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes.

4 Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Working in batches (if you crowd the pan the chops will steam instead of sear), add the chops and cook, turning once, until beautifully brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Then brown the fatty outside edge as well for another 2 minutes—SOOOOO delicious!

5 When all the chops are done, schmear them generously with the olive purée. Put the chops on a baking sheet and roast for 5 to 6 minutes for medium rare (7 to 8 for medium). Then let them rest for 4 or 5 minutes before digging in.

Lovely and lamby!

If you’re making this for a dinner party, the browning and schmearing can be done ahead of time and the chops can be tossed in the oven just before serving.

Braised Lamb Shanks

SERVES: 4 • TIME: ABOUT 3½ HOURS

I’m gonna jump right out there and say that lamb is my favorite meat. And this is probably my favorite dish—to both cook and eat. I love that lamb shanks look like something out of the Flintstones, even though one shank is the perfect size for one person. On a cold winter night when I’m home making dinner for my family, this is definitely my go-to recipe. Like any braise, it takes a bit of effort to get started, but once you get them going, you can just toss the shanks in the oven and let them go on their lamby way.

MISE EN PLACE

4 lamb shanks

Kosher salt

Extra virgin olive oil

2 onions, coarsely chopped

4 carrots, coarsely chopped

4 celery ribs, coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, smashed

1 cup tomato paste

2 cups red wine

2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped

4 bay leaves

1 thyme bundle, tied with butcher’s twine

1 Preheat the oven to 400˚F.

2 Season the lamb generously with salt. Coat a large sauté pan with olive oil and bring to medium-high heat. Add the lamb to the pan and brown well on all sides; this may take up to 20 minutes. This is an incredibly important step—it’s where all the big brown flavors start to develop—DON’T rush it.

3 While the lamb is browning, put the onions, carrots, celery, and garlic in a food processor and purée to a coarse paste;