Grilled Lamb Chops with Charred Peppers and Onions

Grilled Loin Lamb Chops

First, make friends with your local butcher.  He/she will be happy to cut these beauties to the thickness you want.  I like them to be at least 1 1/2 inches thick so they will stay rosey pink in the middle but develop a nice crust on the outside.

To prep the lamb for grilling, you don't need to do much!  I coat them with a bit of olive oil, a squeeze of lemon, chopped up fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, and flat leaf parsley, several cloves of garlic that I put through a press, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Here is what they look like just before they go on the grill.

Before I put the lamb on the grill I cut up 3-4 colorful peppers--red, orange, yellow and 2-3 large onions (cut into wedges leaving the root end intact).  I use the same seasoning treatment on the veggies as the lamb. I like to grill these first until they are charred and beginning to soften.  Remove them from the grill and put them on a large platter. Cover lightly with foil and they will be fine just waiting for the lamb.

Grill the chops on a medium-hot grill-- but be watchful.  They can easily flare up because of the oil and the fat in the lamb.  At 145 degrees they will be medium rare.  Use a meat thermometer  inserted in the side towards the bone.  I usually take them off the grill when they are around 140 and let them rest. Place the resting chops on top of the grilled veggies so all juices can mingle.

I served these with tzatziki sauce and a tomato-corn-mint salsa.

Tzatziki Sauce

1/2 English cucumber very finely chopped

1/2 shallot finely chopped

1 garlic clove put through press

a large bunch of dill chopped

1/2 lemon

2 C plain Greek Yogurt (Fage is my favorite)

generous pinch of sea salt and black pepper

Chop the cucumber and shallot then roll tightly in paper towels to remove as much water as possible.  Line a fine stainer with paper towels and drain the yogurt until it is very thick.  Add the cucumber, shallot, garlic and lemon to the sauce and mix well.  Stir in the dill--there should be a lot of dill.  Add the lemon, salt and pepper to taste.  This is is best if it sits for about an hour for the flavors to develop. 

Tomato-Corn-Fresh Herb Salsa

1 basket grape tomatoes, quartered

1/2 bunch scallions-white part only-thinly sliced

2 ears corn -- grilled and cut off the cob

Fresh mint, basil, and parsley chopped up

Juice from 1/2 lemon

Salt and Pepper

Mix everything together and let it rest for at least an hour.