Lamb chops are our dd’s favorite but she is at camp and missed out.   Both of us like them very rare, but dh is a bit squeamish so I cook them longer for him and chops were his special request last night.

This is the method which I use to grill steaks on top of the stove using cast iron pans.  The most important step is to set the meat out to thaw and then salt and pepper it well, in a glass pyrex dish, and then cover it with plastic wrap.  If you do this a day ahead then let it rest in the refrigerator for a day it will be much more tender.  Take out of the refrigerator for several hours before you are going to cook them, so the meat will reach room temperature.  This will insure tenderness.

Fresh English Thyme, or Lemon Thyme are wonderful with lamb as is Rosemary. I have an abundance of English Thyme on hand so I used that for extra flavor.

Press herbs into one, or both sides of the chops.

Heat up the cast iron pan on high and put a generous amount of butter in the pan. I never cook with my own raw butter like this, as it would be a waste for all the living enzymes and nutrients, so I use KerryGold grass-fed pasture butter for this. When hot, place lamb chops with the herbs facing down in the pan and do not move them for five minutes.

After five minutes, turn chops over and cook on this side, without moving them, for another five minutes.

Turn them up on their sides to crisp up the lovely fat for another two minutes.

Transfer to a plate and pour the juices over them to rest.

We only have lamb chops as a family or with close friends, first because we don’t want to waste them on picky people and second we eat them hick-style, with our fingers, as it is pretty difficult to get all the delectable bits with a proper knife and fork. And we think it’s fun.

The thyme cream aoli dressing I made for the salad, which also ended up on the potatoes, was amazing. This is how I make aoli and mayonnaise.

Thyme Cream Aoli Dressing and Spread

1/2 head of fresh garlic, process until fine in food processor
1 egg and one egg yolk, process well
drizzle slowly, while machine is on, olive oil until you have a thick mayonnaise, about a cup or so.
Add a nice bunch of fresh thyme and process well.
Add cayenne pepper and real sea salt to taste
I add raw honey as well, to make the flavor sweet and hot.
The aoli is very thick at this point and you can add either lemon juice or apple cider vinegar but I decided to add raw cream instead to thin it out and make it extra special.

Having this on hand in the refrigerator is golden, as it is such an amazing blast of flavor as a dip or extra treat.

I always laugh at my husband’s stories of growing up on a dairy farm in Holland, where you were not allowed to point out the window or do other inappropriate things. They had a neighbor that would be seen to lick his plate after dinner, which was quite a shock for the dear family.

I have to admit that there is nothing I can do but smile when my husband secretly does that, which he did last night, licked his plate and then I saw him drink up the last of the dressing from the salad bowl.

He is a great and always grateful customer.