The great thing about lamb is that even the free-range organic grass fed heritage lambs are shockingly easy to work with.
And the taste! I knew I found a gem when I first opened up a pack of lamb chops from my farmer and the first thing I smelled was clovers.
Here, I won't give a recipe, because it's completely unnecessary... just an approach. I will post some stellar lamb recipes this fall when I get my next year supply from the farm, but for now, the simplest and most delicious way to enjoy heritage lamb.
Plate - season with coarse or Kosher salt - cast iron skillet - melt 2 tbsp unsalted butter on medium until lightly smoking - sear - 2-3 minutes per side - tent under foil for 3 minutes.
Whatever you're serving this with, make it in advance because once you're ready to go with the lamb, it should have your undivided attention. This is for a couple of reasons - a) it cooks fast and b) it would be truly tragic to ruin one of the best quality (and possibly expensive) meats you'll buy. You truly want to enjoy this rare to medium rare, so be cautious. Better to take it off a bit too soon and refire if it's too rare for your taste, than to have an over-cooked chop that you can do nothing to salvage. [Here's a helpful tip - you should be able to tell doneness by touching the meat with your finger. Blue feels like your cheek; rare-medium like your chin; well-done (or ruined) feels very firm.]
This hit my table at least three or four times this past year. I remember the first time I delicately cut into the meet with my knife and tasted that tender, buttery goodness, dropped my utensils and ate the rest like a neanderthal. Why does food always taste better when you eat it with your hands?
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