Herb-Marinated Lamb Rib Chops w/Sautéed Spinach, Sweet Potato Mash, & Rosemary-Pinot Drizzle

This may look like a complicated fancy plate, but it’s actually fairly quick and simple to put together!  Which makes it a great one for any romantic night or occasion to impress… 😉

The trick is timing.  If you cook the side dishes while the lamb is marinating, things can all happen in a perfect fashion to make one delicious meal in less than an hour.  Top it all off with an optional rosemary-pinot noir sauce and you’ve got a to-die-for meal sure to make many bellies happy.

Besides being tasty and such, this guy is a healthy one too.  It’s got all the goods for a well-balanced meal- protein, greens, and pretty little nutritious sweet potatoes.

Which brings me to an interesting point.

What’s the deal with sweet potatoes versus yams?  If you research the two, you’ll see that in actuality, sweet potatoes and yams are two very different things; however, we often use the two labels interchangeably in the United States.  I tend to call them all sweet potatoes (lame and lazy, I know), when in fact I used Garnet yams for this.  Grocery stores will often label all reddish sweet potatoes as yams… I say just use whichever you like best.  I personally love the color and sweet flavor of Garnet yams.

Typically, lamb rib chops comes with two-per-chop.  Alternatively, you could use a whole rack, but I find the little individual chops cute.  Cute and delicious, and most importantly, easy to cook since you can brown all sides of ’em up easily.  🙂

serves two

INGREDIENTS

for the lamb…

1 tsp chopped fresh oregano (preferably Greek)

1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

1 tsp chopped fresh mint

1 tsp minced garlic

1/4 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tbsp for browning

lamb rib chops (2-4)

 

 

for the spinach…

5 cups spinach leaves, washed and dried

1 tsp minced garlic

1/2 tsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

 

 

for the sweet potatoes…

2 medium-sized sweet potatoes or garnet yams

1/2 tsp super finely minced garlic

1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 to 1/2 tsp black pepper, to taste

1 tbsp ghee or butter

1/4 cup chicken broth or milk (milk makes it creamier- whole milk or coconut work)

 

 

for the rosemary-pinot drizzle…

1/4 cup pinot noir (one you’d enjoy drinking)

1 tbsp honey

1 sprig fresh rosemary

*for a Whole30 or non-alcholic option, use chicken broth in place of wine, or omit the pinot sauce all together 🙂

DIRECTIONS

{for a medium-rare to well-done lamb, preheat the oven to 400 degrees; for rare, no oven is needed}

For the lamb marinade…

Finely chop the rosemary, mint, oregano, and garlic

Add the herbs, garlic, Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, and 1 tbsp olive oil together on a plate

 

Mix it all together, taste, and adjust the marinade as desired

 

Smother the marinade all over the lamb chops

Set it aside to marinade (at room-temp) while you prepare the remaining ingredients (approx 30 minutes)

For the sweet potato mash…

Peel the potatoes

   

Roughly chop the potatoes into about 1 inch thick slices

Place a steamer basket in a pot of boiling water and lay the potatoes in it… steam them for

about 20 minutes, until completely cooked through and soft

Steaming the potatoes keeps them keeps them extra light and fluffy 😉

(If you want to get ahead on time, start the spinach while the potatoes are steaming!)

Once done, add the potatoes, thyme, garlic, salt,

pepper, milk/broth, and ghee/butter to a large mixing bowl

Mash it together with a fork until smooth and creamy

Taste and adjust seasonings as desired

Set them aside for now (cover to keep warm if desired)

For the spinach…

Heat olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium heat

Add the spinach leaves, garlic, salt, and pepper

Stir and then cover for about 5 minutes

Add the lemon juice- stir, taste, and adjust flavors as desired

Set aside while you cook the lamb…

For the lamb…

Rub the garlic and large herb pieces off the lamb- when garlic burns

it becomes bitter, so we don’t want it on there anymore 😉

Heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat in a large oven-proof pan (cast iron works well)

Lay the lamb chops in the pan, cooking each side for about 2-3 mins, until a deep golden-brown

(Get the sides, top, and end- the underside is tricky since the bones prevent it from touching the pan)

For rare lamb chops, remove them once all sides are browned… for medium-rare to well-done,

place them in the oven for about 3 minutes, on the center rack uncovered…

prop them up on bones so that no sides are touching the pan to prevent burning, as pictured below

(Cooking time may vary depending on you oven and your preference for doneness)

Let the meat rest for about 10 minutes

 

To make the rosemary-pinot sauce…

Keeping the drippings leftover in the pan from cooking the lamb and place over medium heat

Add the wine, honey, and rosemary sprig

Let it cook for about 3-4 minutes, until bubbling and slightly thickened

(You shouldn’t need to add salt since the seasonings from the lamb are there, but do so if you’d like)

Strain the sauce… there will be some char from browning the lamb, so this is important

That’s it!  Now you’re ready to plate and dig in!

To serve…

It’s handy to have a metal molder, but no worries if you don’t… 🙂

Lay the spinach down first (to serve two, use half the spinach for each plate)

Scoop some sweet potato mash over the spinach

This is why the shapers are nice.. they make it tall and pretty

But if you don’t use one, it’ll still be a delicious pile of tasty… and that’s what matters most 😉

 Serve the lamb rib chops alongside the spinach and potatoes

Drizzle the rosemary-pinot sauce over the top and enjoy!!

Psst: there may be leftover sweet potatoes, but that shouldn’t be a problem 😉