When I was growing up, my family always went for lamb on those winter nights when we wanted a meal heartier than chicken but not quite as intense as steak. I loved gnawing on the caramelized, salty meat along the bone (the best part of lamb that some people don’t even know you can eat); my mom loved that the super-simple prep mainly consisted of rubbing in some spices and that the chops can be baked in a toaster oven–which saves additional time in preheating.
Even for pickier eaters, a generous seasoning of garlic and cumin make this meat more enticing. A side of mint jelly to add a little sweetness also helps. Plus, the dish means doing something you never usually get to do at the table: eating with your hands. Oh, yeah!
Ingredients
- 8 lamb chops, approx. 1 1/2 in. in thickness
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp cumin
Directions Preheat oven to 390 degrees Fahrenheit. Line baking sheet or toaster oven tray with foil and space lamb chops out on foil. If using toaster oven, try cooking four chops at a time and, if temperature control isn’t available, set heat on medium high. Drizzle a dime-sized amount of olive oil on each chop and rub. Flip over and repeat. Rub with salt on both sides. Repeat with garlic powder, then cumin. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping half way. Remove lamb chops and set on serveware. For each chop, tear a two- to three-inch strip off the foil lining and wrap around the bone. Serve immediately with mint jelly.
