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A32 FEATURE
Tuesday 13 June 2017
Lamb Chops with Mint Herb Sauce is tasty dish

SARA MOULTON
Associated Press
St. Patrick’s Day, aka the
Feast of St. Patrick, is de-
voted not only to “the
wearing o’ the green,” but
the eating of the green.
Both customs nod to the
color of the shamrock, one
of the great totems of Ire-
land, of which Patrick is the
patron saint.
Like the shamrock, mint is
green, which helps to ex-
plain why recipes for lamb
with a sweet-and-sour mint
sauce abound in Ireland
(and throughout the British
Isles).
My version of the sauce
isn’t sweet — I’m no fan of
sweet in my savory — but
it is bright green, deeply
flavorful and refreshing,
a tangy complement to
some thin and crispy lamb
chops.
The lamb chops available
in our supermarkets usu- This Feb. 8, 2017 photo shows seared lamb chops with mint herb sauce in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Sara Moulton.
ally come from America or Associated Press
New Zealand.
American chops tend to for potatoes. tween two sheets of plastic simmer to clean the pan. calories from fat; 47 g fat
be larger and milder in fla- Just slice some Yukon wrap and pound the chop Dump off the water and (13 g saturated; 1 g trans-
vor, but either kind would Golds about 1/4-inch thick, using either a meat pound- wipe out the skillet. fats); 71 mg cholesterol;
be delicious here. toss them with oil, salt and er or a rolling pin until it is Repeat the procedure with 380 mg sodium; 3 g carbo-
I call for these rib chops to pepper, and roast them in 1/4-inch thick. the remaining chops and hydrate; 1 g fiber; 20 g pro-
be pounded, which cre- a 400 F oven until golden. Repeat the procedure with the remaining oil. Transfer tein.
ates more surface area, Seared Lamb Chops with the remaining chops. Pat the chops to the platter ______________
which means a more deli- Mint Herb Sauce them all dry. and let them rest for 3 min- EDITOR’S NOTE: Sara Moult-
cious crust on the chops Start to finish: 40 minutes. In a large skillet heat half utes before serving. Add on is host of public televi-
once they’ve been seared Servings: 4 the remaining oil over any juices from the platter sion’s “Sara’s Weeknight
in the skillet. For the sauce: high heat. Season half the to the herb mixture. Meals.”
The easiest way to pound 1/2 cup finely chopped chops with salt and pep- To serve, transfer two chops She was executive chef
them (or any thin piece mint per on both sides and add to each of four plates and at Gourmet magazine for
of meat) is to sprinkle the 1/2 cup finely chopped them to the pan. Saute un- top each portion with a nearly 25 years and spent
chops liberally with water parsley til nicely browned, about 1 heaping spoonful of the a decade hosting several
on both sides, put them 6 tablespoons extra-virgin minute a side. Transfer to a mint herb sauce. Food Network shows, in-
into a ziplock bag or be- olive oil, divided platter and keep covered ___ cluding “Cooking Live.” Her
tween two pieces of plas- 2 tablespoons minced loosely with foil. Pour off the Nutrition information per latest cookbook is “Home
tic wrap, and then pound shallot fat, add 1/4 cup water and serving: 515 calories; 424 Cooking 101.”q
them with a meat pounder 1 tablespoon fresh lemon
or rolling pin until they’re juice
uniformly 1/4-inch thick. 2 teaspoons fresh lemon
(The water keeps them zest
from sticking to the plastic 1 teaspoon minced garlic
and shredding.) 1/2 teaspoon salt
If you don’t want to spring Eight trimmed, Frenched
for rib chops — they can rib chops (about 2 ounces
be a tad pricey — use each)
shoulder chops instead. Black pepper
Shoulder chops are tasty, In a small bowl combine
but the bone in the cen- the mint, parsley, 3 table-
ter of the chop will prevent spoons of the olive oil, shal-
you from pounding them. lot, lemon juice, lemon zest,
Because they’re thicker garlic and salt; set aside.
than the pounded rib Working with one chop at
chops, they require a little a time, sprinkle it generous-
more cooking time. ly on both sides with water.
What to serve with these Place the chop in a large
chops? Irish tradition calls re-sealable bag or be-