Lamb is popular in the Spring in our area, and I often make a rack of lamb especially for Easter. But what do you do when you're having a crowd and want something easier to prepare and eat. Enter lamb chop lollipops. These are the same as a rack of lamb, except they've been cut and prepared individually rather than together in the full rack of eight ribs.
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| Julian's Lamp Chop Lollipops with Fig Glaze |
Lamb Selection: You can and should buy them already cut into individual pieces with the bones frenched (trimmed clean to use as a handle when eating). I say to purchase them already butchered into individual portions, as a good butcher will give you lamb chops that are of all a similar size and thickness, ideally from the same thicker half of multiple racks. Ask for the butcher for this. More economically, you can buy full racks as I've done today and butcher them yourself. But you will find that you first must trim off excess fat and silverskin, along with any excess meat around the long bones. If you do this, you will note (image below) that the ribs get smaller and thinner as they go toward one end. This means you will have inconsistently sized lamp chops, necessitating you to cook them more carefully so as not to overcook the smaller, thinner pieces.
Advance Cooking Note: While I'm making this recipe for a large crowd and have instructions for pre-cooking and then doing the final preparation within minutes of serving, you can do it all at once if you don't feel the need to prepare them in advance for quick later service.
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| Self Butchered and Ready to Sear |
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| Seared, Cooled, Ready to Refrigerate |
Ingredients
24-32 lamb chops, cut, cleaned and bones frenched- See Note Above
Substitute 3-4 whole racks of Lamb
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Glaze:
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
Instructions
Butchering: If you've purchased whole rib racks of lamb, using a very sharp knife, trim the excess fat and slide the knife under any silverskin and cut along under it carefully to remove without removing the meat immediately below it. Cut each rib into a single piece between each rib, doing your best to keep the pieces of even thickness. If you purchased butchered individual lamb chops, move to the next step.
Searing: Line a baking sheet with paper towels and place the rib chops on the sheet. Blot with more paper towels to dry to the top surface. In two large skillets (I prefer cast iron), heat the oil over medium-high heat. Sprinkle the lamb with salt and pepper. When the oil is hot, add the lamb in batches and let it cook on one side for 2-5 minutes depending on thickness. The goal is get a browned crust on one side and then to quickly and lightly brown on the second side. Remove to baking sheet(s) fitted with a wire rack to rest as you finish cooking the remainder of the lamb chops. The lamb will still be mostly raw in the center and along the rib bone.
Holding: When the lamb has cooled, cover the sheet with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready for final preparation. If you are not making a large batch and prefer to serve them more immediately, move on to the next step.
Glazing: An hour or so before you are ready to serve, remove the seared lamb chops (still on the rack-fitted baking sheets) from the refrigerator to the counter and let them begin to warm. Add all of the glaze ingredients to a small pot and cook over medium heat stirring occasionally, until bubbling and the sauce is reduced slightly and somewhat thickened. Adjust the oven racks to evenly space them. Pre-heat the oven to 425F (use Convection Roast if you have this setting). Spoon or brush the meat (only) with the glaze. Place in the oven and roast for 3-5 minutes, until an instant read thermometer reads approximately 150F degrees and remove to platter and serve. Drizzle any remaining glaze over the chops.
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