Rosie Mackean’s lamb chops with courgettes, walnuts and yoghurt. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Guardian. Food styling: Tamara Vos. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Katie Smith. View image in fullscreen Rosie Mackean’s lamb chops with courgettes, walnuts and yoghurt. Photograph: Patricia Niven/The Guardian. Food styling: Tamara Vos. Prop styling: Anna Wilkins. Food styling assistant: Katie Smith. Quick and easy Lamb Rosie Mackean’s quick and easy recipe for lamb chops with courgettes, walnuts and yoghurt Intimidated by the thought of midweek entertaining? Three simple rules make it simple…
Prefer the Guardian on Google E ntertaining midweek can feel daunting, but if you employ a couple of tricks, things can very quickly go from mayhem to magic. First, choose a dish that goes perfectly with good bread, so your carb is covered. Second, choose a protein that is quick to cook and great for sharing – little lamb chops are perfect for this, while also being a treat. And, finally, use other ingredients that don’t need much help. Here, the walnuts just get cooked in butter and the lamb juices, the courgettes are simply boiled and dressed, and the yoghurt is, well, yoghurt. Suddenly you’ve conjured up a masterpiece ready for many hands to dig in.
For the chops 800g french-trimmed lamb chops (ie, 12-14 chops from 2 lamb racks – I like small, leaner ones) 1 ½ tbsp flak y salt 1 tsp black pepper 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander ½ tsp ground cinnamon 2 tbsp vegetable oil 90g salted butter 2 garlic cloves , unpeeled and bashed 1 banana shallot , peeled and sliced 100g walnuts ½ tsp smoked paprika Juice of ½ lemon
For the courgettes 1 generous pinch flak y sea salt , plus fine salt for the boiling water 1kg courgettes , cut into roughly 1½cm-thick slices 75g extra-virgin olive oil Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon 1 garlic clove , peeled and grated 1 big handful fresh mint , leaves picked
If the chops are in the shape of a rack, use a sharp knife to separate them. Sprinkle the salt and spices all over the chops, then rub in and leave to sit at room temperature for a few minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pan of water to a boil and season it generously with salt. Tip in the courgettes and simmer for seven minutes, until just tender. Combine the olive oil, lemon zest and garlic in a large bowl and use a slotted spoon to transfer the cooked courgettes straight into it. Stir, season with salt and leave to sit while you cook the chops.
Put a cast-iron (or nonstick) pan on a high heat. Add the oil and the chops, taking care to render any thicker bits of fat before searing them on their flat sides for two minutes each. You may need to do this in batches; pop any seared chops on a rack while you finish the rest.
Return all the chops to the pan with about half the butter and the bashed garlic cloves, then let the butter foam and bubble while you gently spoon it over the lamb for another minute. Lift out the chops and set aside to rest.
Add the remaining butter to the pan with the shallot, walnuts and smoked paprika, turn down the heat to medium and let the butter foam and brown as the walnuts toast for about six minutes. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to stop the butter cooking further, then take the pan off the heat.
Stir the mint into the courgettes, then scoop the yoghurt on to plates. Pile the courgettes around it, then lay the chops on top. Pour over the walnuts and their smoky butter and serve with plenty of flatbread for smooshin…