There’s nothing like hearty lamb chops on a chilly night — they’re a pleasant departure from beef and chicken and, surprisingly, just as easy to cook.
Ingredients
for 4 servings
DRY RUB
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons McCormick® Hearty Spice Blend
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
LAMB CHOPS
- 2 lb lamb chop(1 kg)
- 2 teaspoons canola oil
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
MARINADE
- 1 teaspoon McCormick® Hearty Spice Blend
- 5 garlics, minced
- 2 orange zests
- 2 oranges
YOGURT SAUCE
- 1 orange zest
- 1 orange juice
- ½ cup fresh mint(25 g), finely chopped
- 1 cup full-fat yogurt(245 g)
- 1 teaspoon McCormick® Hearty Spice Blend
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
COUSCOUS
- 1 ¼ cups chicken broth(300 mL)
- 1 tablespoon butter, or olive oil
- 1 pinch of kosher salt
- 1 cup couscous(200 g)
- 2 pitted dates, chopped
- olive oil, to taste
- ¼ cup fresh parsley(10 g), finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons chives, thinly sliced
- toasted pine nut, for serving
Preparation
- Make the dry rub: In a small bowl, mix together the salt, Hearty spice blend, and pepper.
- On a large plate, sprinkle the lamb chops evenly on both sides with the dry rub. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Make the marinade: In a medium bowl, mix together the Hearty spice blend, garlic, orange zest, and orange juice.
- Place seasoned lamb chops in a glass baking dish and pour the marinade over. Let marinate for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator. If the marinade doesn’t completely cover the lamb chops, flip halfway through.
- While the lamb chops are marinating, make the yogurt sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk together the orange zest, orange juice, mint, yogurt, Hearty spice blend, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
- Make the couscous: In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the chicken stock, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil, then pour in the couscous, remove from heat, and let sit, covered, for 10 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork, then stir in the dates, and cover again to keep warm. If the couscous seems dry, add 1-2 teaspoons of olive oil and mix. Set aside.
- Cook the lamb chops: Heat the canola oil in a large cast iron skillet over medium heat.
- Remove the lamb chops from marinade, set on a plate, and season on both sides with salt and pepper.
- Carefully add a few of the lamb chops to the skillet, making sure not to crowd the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes per side, or until desired doneness is achieved and the lamb chops have a nice brown sear on the outside but are still tender in the center. The internal temperature should read 145˚F (63˚C) for medium-rare. Remove the lamb chops from the pan and repeat with remaining lamb chops.
- Just before serving, fold the parsley and chives into the couscous.
- To serve, spoon the couscous onto plates and add a few lamb chops. Spoon the yogurt sauce the over lamb chops and top with toasted pine nuts.
- Enjoy!