I was planning to do a leg of lamb on Sunday, but the Frenched rack of lamb (“lamb lollipops”) looked so great, that I couldn’t pass them up.



As I was shopping, I ran into a friend who had picked up the lamb chops too, and she was asking how I planned to cook them. Thought it might be beneficial to share the most basic of recipes for grilled lamb chops. This is another one of those dishes where the simplicity of it really does make the dish.

Rosemary grilled lamb chops

8 4-oz lamb chops, Frenched
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 t minced garlic
1 T finely chopped rosemary leaves
1 lemon, halved
1 t kosher salt
½ t freshly ground black pepper

Preheat grill. Rub chops with oil, garlic, rosemary, lemon, salt, and pepper, and let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Place chops on the grill and cook for 4-6 minutes on each side (chops will be medium-rare). (Alternatively, chops could be broiled, about 6 inches from heat, for the same amount of time.) Place chops on a plate and cover with foil for about 5 minutes.

Serve with mint jelly or bourbon-mint sauce for an Irish finish, or with cucumber-yogurt sauce for a Greek or Middle Eastern finish. We might just serve both as a nod to our families’ combined ethnicities.

Bourbon-mint sauce

½ c sugar
¼ c white wine vinegar
2 T Bourbon whiskey
1 c fresh mint, minced

Dissolve sugar into vinegar. Mix in bourbon and mint. Serve immediately, or store in a container in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Cucumber-yogurt sauce

2 c yogurt
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 shallot, minced
juice of ½ lemon
1 T fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 T fresh mint, finely chopped
1 large pinch salt
ground white pepper, to taste

In a bowl, combine all ingredients. Serve immediately, or store in a container in the refrigerator until ready to serve, as a salad dressing or as an accompaniment with Greek, Middle Eastern, or Indian foods, especially spicy foods.