Rosemary & Mustard Lamb Chops

The Spring is here and along with the welcomed milder weather comes many wonderful produce into season. I always like to cook in season, as I can mostly buy Irish and also the flavour is incomparable to its out-of-season alternative. Many ingredients are currently at their best, including rhubarb, wild garlic, asparagus and of course spring lamb. While I was growing up, my father had a large flock of sheep. Springtime meant the addition of lots of adorable baby lambs. There were always a few ewes that didn't take to their babies, so these little mites inevitably became pet lambs and, like all babies, they needed feeds around the clock. One can get very attached to this creatures and I absolutely adored them, so much so that my father was never allowed to sell any that I had really taken a shine to. I think similar to any child that grows up on a farm I loved lots of the farm animals. I certainly never liked the thoughts of them being sold to anyone other than another farmer and consequently, I became a vegetarian for about 12 years. Into my adult life, I eventually decided to put a halt to my meat ban and I started to eat chicken, then beef but only in recent years have I started to enjoy lamb again. My local butcher sells lamb that is always less than a year in age and is sourced within miles of his abattoir. Even though I still love the sight of little lambs in the fields, I've really come to appreciate lamb for its high nutritional content and its delicate sweet flavour.

The lamb chops for this dish are French trimmed, which your butcher can do for you, but they are simply a rack of lamb which is cut into chops. Lamb marries quite well with mustard and rosemary, so I've included these in the marinade. These lamb chops are delicious served with some creamy mash, some roasted  root veg and a drizzle of mint sauce.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
• 2tbsp olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 9 lamb cutlets/chops, French trimmed

Method

1. In a large shallow dish combine the rosemary, dijon mustard, olive oil, garlic and lemon juice.
2. Add the chops and cover them evenly with the marinade.
3. Cover the dish with some cling film and pop in the fridge for a couple of hours.
4. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. When hot, sear the lamb chops on both sides to colour. Reduce the heat and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, depending on the thickness of the cutlets, or until the meat is cooked to your liking. 
5. Remove from the pan and allow the chops to rest on a hot plate for a few minutes before serving.

Enjoy!