Little lamb, little innocent lamb

I needed a vegetable, so I invited George W. Bush. Whah, hah, hah, that's funny.

I can tell how "offal"-putting my last post was. I'm back on the straight and narrow now. I can't promise you I won't challenge you again in the future, but for the moment let's just enjoy the residual feelings of joy and satisfaction from Easter weekend and the victuals we shared with our families. My dinner was a simple one. I had a decent lamb loin chop, a baked potato and some sauteed spinach. All in all a lovely meal. I did nothing special with the lamb - got my skillet screaming hot, seasoned it with salt and pepper and a bit of minced dried rosemary. Two and 1/2 minutes per side was all it needed (it wasn't very thick). Of course I got the potato and spinach completely under control before even considering cooking the meat.

Seared lamb loin chops with honey/mustard vinaigrette

Went to Safeway yesterday and got some Italian sausages and two lamb loin chops from the manager’s special bin (really cheap). I want to use the sausages to recreate (in my own way) a dish Peter and I shared on Wednesday evening when we were taken to dinner at one of Denver’s finest restaurants, Olivéa. It was called “Kleenex pasta with pork ragu and castelvetrano olives”. The olives are my absolute favorites, very lightly brined and brilliant green. Kleenex pasta just means 3”x3” squares of homemade pasta (fazzoletti in Italian).

As for the lamb, it’s not often easy to find in spite of the fact that Colorado is known for its home-grown lamb. Loin chops are a bit fatty, but quickly seared in a screaming hot pan, they are a welcome diversion from the usual beef, pork, chicken that dominate our diet.

Seared lamb loin chops with honey/mustard vinaigrette (2 servings)
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp honey
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp olive oil
2 lamb loin chops, about 1/2 lb. each, trimmed of excess fat
olive oil
1 tbsp butter
salt
pepper
all-purpose flour

Make the vinaigrette by combining the mustard, honey, vinegar and olive oil in a bowl. Whisk it well. When ready to serve the lamb, nuke it for 15 seconds.

Rub the chops with some olive oil. Sprinkle them with salt and pepper (to taste) and dredge them in a bit of flour. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp butter in a skillet. Get it screaming hot. Put in the chops and sear them on each side for 3-4 minutes max.