Spiced Lamb Chops With Fennel and Cucumber

"Place lamb fat-side-down . . ." Does this mean the side(s) of the chops?

This looks delicious. I too used to think lamb was too 'lamby' and never prepared it until a friend and I made lamb loin chops marinated in EVOO, mint, basil, garlic and red pepper flakes, then grilled over charcoal. It was like a great steak, medium rare on the inside with a beautiful crust. If you grill the chops (highly recommended) do trim off a good deal of outside fat as they will tend to flare-up over a hot fire. We always make minty-mushy peas on the side. Heaven!

I am a female, organic grassfed lamb producer in upstate New York (yes unicorns are a thing), and cannot sell my lamb through any large chains or supermarkets. The butchers in these stores tell me they “get what distribution sends” them. Translation=lamb from Australia/New Zealand and out west, that is sometimes “off”, due to spotty refrigeration during lengthy transport. So, I mostly sell whole and half animals locally. The meat is so delicious, you may never eat the other red meat again.

Ron, that's exactly it. Cook them on end first, then the sides. Otherwise either the fat is raw-ish, or the meat overdone.

No it means the fatty end. The next step is to cook “both” sides.

Good Evening: Bob, I did sear the sides of the chops first and it worked extremely well. The recipe succeeded esp. in conjunction with the salad and will go into repertoire. One suggestion--3 minutes per side. 2 minutes yielded rare, almost undercooked meat.

Made as written with two minor changes--added a touch of bittersweet chardonnay vinegar to the salad as it was a little too acidic for me. Also put a bunch of chopped mint in the salad as I'm really fond of it. A great easy recipe. And cooking the fatty side of the chops first is a solid tip. I buy local lamb loin chops all the time and never find them to be gamey. Surprised by the comments here.

This was a winning recipe. Lamb is my favorite red meat. Those who find it too "gamy" might be eating Australian lamb, which I find distasteful. Look around for American lamb, most of it from Colorado. I get a whole lamb every year from a neighboring organic farmer and share it with a friend. It is becoming almost impossible to get American lamb in any major supermarket chain.

Cook in cast iron pot or all carbon skillet. Slow and low on all sides which takes patience and time. Start with the vertical sides and end with horizon sides, all til browned. Will be much more tender. When cut, almost feels and looks like a thick salmon fillet.

I seared both sides then finished them in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes before letting them rest for 5. These were thick chops and this timing worked perfect for us.

Grilled, sprinkled with garlic and rosemary perhaps an hour or two before grilling, I love. And not over cooked, pink inside. Of course young lamb and American, makes a big difference. Though Australian is getting better if you can't find local.

I like to cut a good deal of the fat off these chops because that is what I think contributes to the unpleasant "lamby" flavor. Browning them on all sides helps too.

loved this dish, the cucumber and fennel salad without oil was amazing, a real surprise. We did not have mint or dill so we threw some arugula on top, perfect. chops had fat strip on the side, so I did brown the fatty side of the chop and melted it down, tricky but very useful to get the cast iron pan nice and greased.

This is really good. I love fennel with pork, but hadn’t used it with lamb, my favorite red meat. Salad was great. I added some fennel fronds ( because I hate to waste them), and a little left over red onion and parsley. Other than that I followed the recipe. Served with pearl couscous. Nice summer dinner, with a good res wine.