Lamb Chops with Orange-Herb Crust & Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes
When the popular German food magazine Lust auf Genuss asked to feature eat in my kitchen in their February print issue I was more than excited. This magazine is a culinary gem! Their fantastic team creates so many amazing recipes and shares detailed information about our every day ingredients. I really love their special columns about wine makers and other fascinating food producers and their delicious products, just reading through the pages and seeing the pictures makes me want to cook!
I was very lucky, this month's issue was about citrus fruits which made my pleasure even greater, there is barely a recipe without oranges, lemons or tangerines coming out of my kitchen at the moment. So a whole magazine dedicated to my beloved powerful fruits felt like the perfect surrounding for a feature about me and the blog, especially because I was asked to contribute a new recipe which wasn't on the blog yet. My first choice was guinea fowl with lemon ricotta stuffed under the skin but the magazine's own cooking team had a similar recipe in mind. Lamb chops were next on my list. Easter is close and there'll definitely be lamb on the table at one point, it also combines wonderfully with citrus flavours. It seemed just perfect. The decision for the final recipe was actually made in the forest, during an afternoon walk with my mother. We chatted about the feature and within seconds the idea was set: the chops quickly seared and topped with a thin slice of orange then finished under the grill. The orange coated in a layer of chopped, fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme and sage) mixed with parmesan and olive oil. The ripe cheese creates a fine crust in the oven and adds its wonderful aroma to the composition.
I served the lamb with lemony Mediterranean mashed potatoes to keep it pure and simple, just olive oil, sea salt and a bit of lemon zest chopped with a knife into the roots. This is the right meal to get into the mood for spring and all its culinary pleasures!
Lamb Chops with Orange Herb Crust & Mediterranean Mashed Potatoes
For 2 people you need
For the lamb chops
lamb chops (1 1/2-2cm / 3/4" thick) 6, about 450g / 16 ounces
organic orange, ends cut off, very thinly sliced, 1 (you'll need 6 slices)
olive oil 3 tablespoons plus more for frying
mixed fresh herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme), finely chopped, 1 tablespoon
freshly grated aged Parmesan 2 tablespoons
salt and pepper
Set the oven to grill (broiler), the oven has to be hot when you put the meat in.
Whisk the olive oil, herbs and Parmesan and coat 6 slices of orange generously with the herb oil on both sides. Heat a splash of olive oil in a pan and sear the lamb chops over a high heat for 1 minute on each side. I like them rare, keep them in the pan for another 30 seconds if you prefer them medium. Take the pan off the heat and season with salt and pepper. Lay 1 slice of herb coated orange on each piece of meat and put the lamb chops under the hot grill for about 1 minute (just let cheese melt and the rind turn golden brown). Serve with the mashed potatoes.
For the mashed potatoes
potatoes, peeled and cooked in salted water, about 400g / 14 ounces
olive oil 50ml / 2 ounces
lemon zest 1 1/2 teaspoons
sea salt
Chop the warm potatoes with a knife until they have a lumpy texture adding the oil constantly. Stir in the zest and season with salt.
