With Easter falling this weekend I just had to cook a lamb dish. Although instead of the usual leg of lamb I'll be opting for quick-to-cook lamb chops. They're loaded with flavour and are sticky and delicious from the balsamic glaze. I love rosemary and it's such a classic combination with garlic and lamb. As luck would have it, my rosemary plant is one of the only herbs in my garden to have survived the unseasonably cold weather we've been having. Despite the snow, it's flourished and now gets to star in Easter dinner.
Serve these chops with the garlic and rosemary butterbeans. They’re so easy and quick to make. I usually serve them as is but I sometimes blitz the beans into a smooth mash as a quick alternative to potatoes. They’re the perfect side dish with steak too.
Recently, the Irish Food Writers Guild held its annual awards lunch in Dublin to celebrate indigenous food producers and organisations who create, make and share great Irish produce and products, while helping to maintain Ireland’s outstanding international reputation for food and drink.
Each year, my fellow guild members and I have an opportunity to propose a food product and we judge the nominations together. It's quite unique and the guild is very proud to champion these artisanal producers from all over Ireland. Winners this year included McNally Farm for its organic vegetables, Baltimore Bacon and Cockagee Pure Irish Keeved Cider, to name but a few.
I sat at a table with the producers of Wildwood Balsamic. I've been a fan of Fionntán Gogarty's syrupy balsamic vinegars for a while now. The cherry balsamic transformed our roast sprouts on Christmas Day. All of the vinegars start by being made into wines and are infused with wild berries, blossoms and herbs. They now have more than 20 stockists countrywide with 18 flavours and a growing range of blends. Wildwood Balsamics offers a unique and sustainable taste of the Irish terroir. I've used its blackberry balsamic for these lamb chops and the flavour is amazing. Alternatively, use an aged balsamic – The Olive Stall at the English Market in Cork sells very good three and even 12-year-old balsamic from Modena. I'm adding Dijon mustard to everything lately and love the subtle background flavour it gives.
Rosemary and balsamic lamb chops
Serves 4
Ingredients
Olive oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed (use one clove for the marinade)
2 x 400g tins butterbeans, drained and rinsed
300ml water or stock
4 sprigs fresh rosemary
Juice of ½ lemon
Sea salt
Black pepper
8 lamb loin chops
60ml balsamic vinegar
1tbsp honey
1tbsp Dijon mustard
To serve
Green salad or broccoli spears
Method
Heat 2tbsp olive oil in a medium pan and add one clove of crushed garlic. Heat gently then tip in the rinsed butterbeans and 300ml of water or stock. Add two sprigs of rosemary and simmer, partially covered with a lid, for 20 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Remove the rosemary stalks. Set the beans aside and keep warm.
In a small bowl, stir the vinegar, mustard, honey and garlic together to form a smooth paste.
Heat the olive oil on high in a heavy-based frying pan. Add the remaining rosemary sprigs, they’ll release their own oils as they heat. Place the chops in the pan and sear both sides. Spoon the vinegar mixture over and reduce the heat. Turn the chops over once or twice to evenly coat them in the sauce. After about five minutes, the vinegar mixture will thicken and the chops will be sticky. Remove from the pan and leave to rest for five minutes.
Serve with the garlic and rosemary butterbeans, a green salad or broccoli spears.
