Loin Lamb Chops (Marinated)

Lamb, poor lamb. It is one of the most tender of meats but lots of people just don't like its flavor. In the summer, when I'm cooking for a crowd, Lamb Souvlaki is always a big hit. Some folks say, "I usually don't like lamb, but this is delicious!" Now why is that? Well, it's the marinade! The Greeks have been cooking lamb for millennia and they have perfected a beautiful marinade for lamb. In fact, I believe it is very lamb-centric. Beef Souvlaki is what you usually find at a restaurant, but I'm not sure the marinade works with beef. Chicken Souvlaki just makes me shudder. Sorry to those of you who replace everything with chicken ;)

Summertime Grilling Legs of Lamb for Souvlaki

Now let's consider the Lamb Loin Chops. They are those little T-bones, usually cut about an inch, or more, thick. They are succulent and tender and really can be grilled just as they are. Two chops makes a nice serving. Here I have combined the heavenly flavor of souvlaki marinade with these chops! You get a meal that can be thrown together very quickly, if you remember to marinate them overnight!

Ingredients:

This inexpensive Olive Oil works fine for marinade

4 thick loin lamb chops

Marinade:

1          lemon

1/4       cup      chopped green pepper

1/2       medium onion, chopped

1          clove    garlic, chopped

2          tsp        oregano

2          tsp        salt

1          tsp        pepper

1          cup      olive oil

Mix marinate ingredients together and pour over lamb chops in a container just large enough to hold them. Marinate overnight in the refrigerator. 

Take out at least an hour before you're ready to cook them. Clean off marinade pieces.

They could be grilled, but this is not grilling season on the Niagara Frontier, so I will oven broil them. You should prepare your broil pan with some non-stick spray, although you probably won't need much, since the marinade oil coats the lamb so well.

Everybody's broiler is at a different height from the food, so my timing is for my broiler. Unless you put your rack real low, about 6 minutes per side should give you a perfectly even pink interior. You can check with an instant-read thermometer if you're worried.

My broiler height, the flash hid the flame! 

Remove from oven, cover loosely with foil, and let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Here I have served each chop on a slab of feta. The flavors work very well. In the picture I have cooked some brown rice with small carrot dice and then stirred in some fresh parsley and freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese. Also shown are a couple spears of pineapple soaked in Grand Marnier. (Wintertime fruit!)

Serve with a crisp white Greek wine!