Grilled Lamb Chops and Herb Salad
I’ve been doing a lot of grilling lately. I just love cooking outside over an open flame when it’s warm, and since I live by the ocean, feeling that cool ocean breeze while grilling… well nothing makes me happier. So, I’m out there as often as I can be. While I love grilling vegetables and fruit, I really love grilling proteins. It doesn’t matter if it’s chicken, beef, lamb or pork. It’s it’s a protein, I’m one hundred percent in! So, when I saw these grilled lamb chops from American Test Kitchen, I knew I had to try them.
While the chops aren’t marinated or covered in a spice rub, they’re still delicious. The lack of spices and sauces allows the protein’s natural flavor to shine through, and is then enhanced by the smokiness of the grill. But what makes this dish really special is the salad. See, I love salad as a side to any meal because it’s fresh and light and is always a nice option for a heavy protein. Sure, rice or a vegetable are great choices as well, but in the summertime a salad is fast and easy and almost always delicious. What makes this salad unusual, though is that it isn’t made with your standard lettuce or tomatoes. It’s made with herbs.
But these aren’t boring herbs like curly parsley or thyme. These are fresh, leafy herbs that are full of flavor and surprisingly make for one heck of a great salad. I used Italian (or flat leaf) parsley which is really the only parsley you should ever use. It has way more flavor than that curly parsley. I also used fresh mint and basil. But it’s not just about which herbs you use. According to Fine Cooking (where I got this great recipe) you should use the smaller leaves because they’ll have better flavor than the larger leaves. I had no idea that the smaller the leaf the better the flavor, and the flavor of this salad was really amazing. As a matter of fact, after I ate this salad I wanted to make it again. Don’t get me wrong, I love a great lettuce and tomato salad but this herb salad is a nice change of pace.
While this salad is great all on its own, it pairs really well with the grilled lamb chops. Because the salad is made up of various fresh, flavorful herbs, and the chops only use a sprinkling of salt and pepper, the flavor profiles aren’t in competition. Instead they both shine independently, working together to make a delicious summer dinner.
Grilled Lamb Chops and Herb Salad
Ingredients:
- 8 lamb loin chops
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 shallot, minced
- 1 ripe tomato, diced
- 4 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup feta cheese, crumbled
Directions:
- Preheat the grill to 350° F. Season the chops with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper in a medium bowl. Add the tomatoes, parsley, mint and basil and set aside.
- Grill the lamb chops until charred and cooked to your liking about 12 minutes for medium rare. Remove the chops from the heat and let rest.
- Toss the salad and season with salt and pepper to taste. Plate the salad and the lamb chops together and serve.
