Recipes, Lamb Recipes

Lamb chops, cucumber, onion & herb salad w/ minted yoghurt

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These chops, all fatty and caramelised, sit perfectly with this simple, light salad and a vibrant dollop of minted yoghurt on the side. A perfect easy supper for the summer months.

A good quality lamb chop, with a nice amount of fat, is a fun thing to cook and a super thing to eat. They can take a fairly fierce heat, and a good caramelisation is essential but do make sure to render out some of the fat. Pick them up and gnaw away at them, stripping the bone of meat. If this sounds a little primal, then there is no shame in turning to a knife and fork.

This salad is perhaps somewhat of a surprise, a simple list of ingredients combined to create something special. In fact, on reflection, perhaps it is no surprise at all, but rather an illustration of much that is good about cooking — simple, carefully considered combinations, assembled with diligence and respect. Enjoy both the process and the end product.

Lamb chops with cucumber salad and minted yoghurt.

Serves 2

Ingredients

For the salad

For the yoghurt

Method

For the yoghurt:

  1. Place the grated garlic in a bowl and season well with sea salt. Leave to sit for 5 minutes, and then add the yoghurt, mint, lemon juice, and a tablespoon of olive oil. Mix well and then sprinkle over the Aleppo pepper flakes.

For the salad:

  1. Place the sliced onions in a bowl and season with salt. Leave to sit for 10 minutes, and then squeeze over the juice of ½ a lemon.
  2. Thinly slice the whole cucumber, either on a Japanese mandolin (if you have one), or by hand, and place in the bowl with the onions and season with a little more sea salt. Mix well and sit to one side for 5 minutes.
  3. Add the chilli, mint, coriander, the juice from the other ½ of the lemon, and 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Mix well and then taste for seasoning, adjusting as necessary. Then sprinkle over the sumac.

To cook the chops:

  1. Remove the chops from the fridge and their packaging and allow them to come up to room temperature.
  2. Season the chops well with fine sea salt and set a cast iron skillet or pan over a low heat.
  3. Place the chops in the pan, rind side down, and begin rendering the fat. Cook like this, moving so that all the rind spends some time on the heat, for about 10 minutes. The fat will begin to pool in the pan.
  4. Once the fat has been rendered, then turn the heat up to high and lay the chops on their side, and cook for 2 minutes. Then flip the chops and cook for 2 minutes on the other side.
  5. Remove the chops from the pan and set to one side to rest.

Shop the ingredients

For 15 years George worked in some of London’s most loved restaurants, including Padella and Primeur, and had a 5-year stint as Head Chef at the Garden Museum Café. George earned rave reviews for his simple, thoughtful cookery, his dishes were firmly rooted in the classics, and always paid homage to the produce. In 2021 George realised a long-held ambition and released his first cookbook entitled, A Year In The Kitchen. It celebrates the annual cookery cycle, taking readers on a journey through the British seasons, showcasing native produce, and inspiring year round creativity. In 2022 George left London behind, and moved back home to Yorkshire. His passion for seasonal cookery and reverence of quality British ingredients proved that for George, home is where the heart is. Like his food, George is led by the seasons, he’s open to new opportunities, and always following his heart.