Lamb Chops with Honey, Lemon & Thyme

 

 

 

One thing which I really learned to love when I was in the UK was lamb. It was not something which I had ever really eaten very much of prior to going over there to live.  

At our wedding supper I had roasted saddle of lamb and it was delicious. I fell in love. It was so tasty! My mother had only ever cooked lamb chops once for us when we were children. I think it was mutton actually as it smelled like she was burning mittens when she was cooking them.

None of us would touch them.

 

Mom had always spoken fondly of a lamb stew she had enjoyed whilst in the hospital giving birth to my brother. She had thought it delicious and I suppose she was wanting to explore a taste memory she had.  All that did was to create a bad taste memory for us, lol.  Or bad smell memory in any case.

I am so happy that I had the opportunity to live in the UK and taste really good lamb.

 

My sister and I were in the Super Store on Saturday and she said to me, did you see the lamb?  No, I hadn't so I went back to take a look.  Nova Scotia lamb!  I was excited.  Not previously frozen lamb from New Zealand.

This was a rare find.  I could not resist buying myself a small package of lamb chops. They were not cheap.  I paid $55.09 a kg for them, which meant that my small package of two small chops cost me $11.04.

But I could not resist the opportunity to taste Nova Scotia Northumberland Lamb.  No matter how pricey it was.

 

I decided to cook it very simply. I was looking for recipes, but I did not want the flavor of the lamb to get lost in everything else.  I decided to simply dust it with some salt, pepper and thyme and then pan fry it in some butter and a bit of oil, with some lemon zest and simply glazing it with a mix of fresh lemon juice and honey.

I also pan fried some potatoes to go with it and I oven roasted the rest of that tender stem cauliflower from the other day.

Lamb has such a lovely delicate flavor.  I didn't want to hide or mask it with strong flavors.  It was a good call on my part.  The lamb was tender and juicy, perfectly cooked and the lemon, honey and thyme highlighted its delicate flavor perfectly! 

 

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE LAMB CHOPS WITH HONEY, LEMON & THYME

Very simple ingredients really. You don't need to do the potatoes with the lamb if you don't want to, but I do think they made for a very delicious side. Although I only cooked two chops, I have given ingredient amounts for four.

• 4 bone in rib lamb chops, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• fine sea salt and ground black pepper
• the zest of 1/2 lemon, cut into long shreds (julienne)
• the juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 TBS runny honey (I used Greek)

For the potatoes:

• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1 TBS butter
• 1 TBS light olive oil
• sea salt, black pepper and paprika to taste

 

I used a potato peeler to thinly pare the lemon zest from the lemon.  Take care not to get any of the white pith from underneath as this is quite bitter.  Just pare it off in thin strips and then use a sharp knife to julienne it.

I used a Greek honey, but any liquid honey will do. Try to pick one with a nice flavor.  Something flowery. Chestnut honey would be really nice if you can get it.

I used dry thyme because I had no fresh.  If you have fresh thyme, use just the leaves and roughly twice the amount.

 

HOW TO MAKE LAMB CHOPS WITH HONEY, LEMON & THYME

This goes together very simply and quickly.  The times I have suggested will yield perfectly cooked medium/rare lamb chops which are still nice and pink in the center.

Take your lamb chops and rub them all over on both sides with the thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside while you start the potatoes.

Melt the butter in a skillet along with the oil. Once the butter starts to foam add the potato slices. Sprinkle all over with the pepper, salt and paprika. Cook slowly over medium heat until just beginning to turn on the bottom, flip over and season the other side with pepper, salt and paprika.

Cover with a lid and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, until golden brown on the bottoms and cooked through.

Increase the heat to medium high.

 

Push the potatoes over to one side. Add the lamb chops and sear on one side for 2 to 3 minutes, flip over. Add the lemon zest strips to the pan. Sear the chops on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes.

Squeeze over the lemon juice and drizzle over the honey. Turn the chops over to coat them in both the honey and the lemon.

Remove the pan from the heat and leave to rest for a few minutes.

Divide the lamb and potatoes between two heated plates, spooning some of the juices from the pan over the lamb.  Serve immediately.

These were so, so, SO good. The lamb had a beautiful delicate flavor and was perfectly cooked.  The taste of the honey, lemon and thyme worked in complete harmony with it.

The potatoes were lovely and crispy and also perfectly cooked.  My tender stem cauliflower (contrary to how it looks) was also beautifully cooked. I had it in the oven at 425*F/220*C tossed with a bit of oil and seasoning for the whole time I was cooking the meat and potatoes.  It was crispy tender.

I really enjoyed this meal.  Although the meat was quite pricey it was a real treat.  I would buy it again. Definitely.  

It has been a real pleasure to be able to highlight a Nova Scotia product here on the blog. I hope to do more posts doing so in the future. 

If, like me, you are also fond of lamb, might I also suggest these other recipes to cook:

SLOW ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER - If you are lucky enough to be able to get your hands on a shoulder of lamb, this is the perfect way to cook it.  The meat ends up succulent and tender. This is fabulously delicious.

LAMB & DAMSON STEW - Lamb has a delicate almost sweet flavor that goes very well with fruit. You could also use apricots in this stew rather than plums if you cannot get the plums. It is incredibly tasty, especially with dumplings on top!

Yield: 2

Author: Marie Rayner

Lamb Chops with Honey, Lemon & Thyme

Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 20 MinTotal time: 25 Min

I was lucky enough to find some beautiful looking Nova Scotia Lamb and could not resist buying them. I wanted to cook them as simply as possible and this was the delicious result.

Ingredients

• 4 bone in rib lamb chops, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• fine sea salt and ground black pepper
• the zest of 1/2 lemon, cut into long shreds
• the juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 TBS runny honey (I used Greek)

For the potatoes:

• 3 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices
• 1 TBS butter
• 1 TBS light olive oil
• sea salt, black pepper and paprika to taste

Instructions

1. Take your lamb chops and rub them all over on both sides with the thyme, salt and pepper. Set aside while you start the potatoes.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet along with the oil. Once the butter starts to foam add the potato slices. Sprinkle all over with the pepper, salt and paprika. Cook slowly over medium heat until just beginning to turn on the bottom, flip over and season the other side with pepper, salt and paprika.
3. Cover with a lid and cook on medium low for about 10 minutes, until golden brown on the bottoms and cooked through.
4. Increase the heat to medium high.
5. Push the potatoes over to one side. Add the lamb chops and sear on one side for 2 to 3 minutes, flip over. Add the lemon zest strips to the pan. Sear the chops on the other side for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Squeeze over the lemon juice and drizzle over the honey. Turn the chops over to coat them in both the honey and the lemon.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to rest for a few minutes.
8. Divide the lamb and potatoes between two heated plates, spooning some of the juices from the pan over the lamb.
9. Serve immediately.

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