Passion Project: Almond and Herbs-Crusted Easter Lamb Chops

Happy Easter everybody! 

This has got to be one of my favorite weekends of the year! Filled with sunshine, bunnies, friends, family, and good food (read: chocolate and lamb)! It doesn’t get much better than that if you ask me. Unless an egg hunt is involved! In which case the whole weekend gets even better. I mean, do you really enjoy the chocolates as much if you don’t have to look for them? Delayed gratification is definitely a thing, right?! Ok maybe not… Maybe that’s just what we were told as kids. But in any case, it sure doesn’t hurt to give a little bit of effort to reach the prize. Speaking of which…

Yesterday, I went on a hunt for the first time in years! We split our group of friends into teams and went on a quest to find 135 eggs hidden around a house and garden. Needless to say that things got really competitive… It’s surprising how catchy these games can be. In fact, this might have been the most intense egg hunt I’ve ever participated in. There were stealing plots and tackling involved: it was great!

After a day like that, nothing compares to a good lamb dish. Easter wouldn’t be complete without it. So today I wanted to post one of my favorite ones for this special occasion. This is a recipe that I stumbled upon a long time ago, and it’s one of my favorite ways to enjoy lamb chops. I tweaked it here because I was missing some of the ingredients for the crust. It usually involves breadcrumbs, but after trying this modified version I think it turned out to be for the best. I actually enjoyed it even more this way! The delicious blend of herbs and nuts really complements the lamb.

I first pan seared the meat to get a nice crust, before finishing it off in the oven. This is a great techniques for cuts that are thick. It allows an even distribution of heat, and doneness across the chop. That way, the exteriors don’t dry before the center gets to cook. I enjoy lamb medium rare so you might want to adjust the cooking time, as this makes perfectly pinkish meat. If you’re looking for a creative way to enjoy lamb this Easter, look no further. Bon appétit!

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Total time: 30 minutes

 Ingredients: 

• 2 lamb chops
• a handful of sliced almonds
• a handful of parsley
• 1 rosemary sprig
• a few thyme sprigs
• a squeeze of lemon juice
• garlic sea salt
• olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup brown rice, cooked

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Season the lamb chops generously with salt and pepper.
3. Heat some olive oil in an oven-proof pan. Pan sear the chops skin-side down, on medium-high heat, for about 4 minutes, flipping them halway through.
4. Meanwhile, make the almond-herbs crust. Pulse the almonds, herbs, lemon juice, a drizzle of olive oil, salt, and pepper in a food processor until the mixture is small and chunky.
5. Take the chops out of the pan and coat them with the herb mixture.
6. Return to the pan and place in the oven for about 16-17 minutes (medium rare).
7. Serve the lamb with all the extra almond mixture on top of a bed of brown rice. Enjoy!

Temps Total: 30 minutes

 Ingrédients: 

• 2 côtes d’agneau
  
• une grosse poignée d’amandes effilées
  
• une poignée de persil frais
  
• 1 brin de romarin
  
• quelques brins de thym frais
• quelques gouttes de jus de citron
  
• sel de mer ailé
  
• huile d’olive
  
• sel de mer et poivre noir
  
• 1/2 tasse de riz brun, cuit
  

Étapes:

1. Préchauffez le four à 180°C.
   
2. Assaisonnez l’agneau de sel et de poivre.
3. Faites chauffer de l’huile dans une poêle allant au four. Faites griller les côtes d’agneau côté peau pendant 4 minutes à feu moyen-fort, en les tournant à mi-cuisson.
4. Pendant ce temps, préparez la croute d’herbes. Mixez les amandes, le romarin, le persil, le thym, le sel et le poivre avec quelques gouttes de jus de citron et un filet d’huile d’olive.
   
5. Sortez les côtes d’agneau de la poêle et recouvrez les du mélange d’herbes, en pressant.
   
6. Remettez l’agneau dans la poêle avec tout le mélange d’herbes extra et mettez au four pendant environ 16-17 minutes (cuisson rosée).
7. Servez l’agneau sur une base de riz, et garnissez avec le mélange d’herbes en extra. Bon appétit!
   

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