Grilled Chops with Smashed Potatoes
This savory, classic dish of grilled chops with smashed potatoes is an excellent introduction to the art of grilling lamb. The recipe combines the tenderness of the loin chops and the snap of grilled potatoes to provide a wonderful texture that is sure to delight your taste buds. The recipe is fairly simple to execute and takes approximately one hour from start to finish.
What You'll Need:
The ingredients for this recipe are quite straightforward. You will need the following:
- 1 pound of small creamer potatoes. You can use either Yukon Gold or red potatoes for this recipe.
- 1 tablespoon of baking soda. This is optional but can help to make your potatoes crispier.
- Salt to taste.
- 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil.
- 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped.
- 2 tablespoons of finely chopped rosemary leaves.
- 4 North 44 Farm lamb loin chops
Getting Started:
Before you start cooking, make sure you have all your ingredients ready. You can prepare the potatoes and lamb up to 24 hours ahead of time if necessary.
Cooking Directions:
Here are the step-by-step instructions to prepare this delicious meal:
1. Start by placing the potatoes, baking soda, and a large pinch of salt in a saucepan. Cover them with an inch of cold water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, uncover the saucepan and continue cooking until the potatoes are soft when pierced with a knife. This should take about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the potatoes and return them to the hot saucepan to dry.
2. While the potatoes are cooking, take a small bowl and mix together the olive oil, garlic, rosemary and a pinch of salt. Season the lamb with salt and a spoonful of the garlic-rosemary mixture, making sure to rub it on all sides.
3. Once the potatoes have dried off, gently press them between your hands until the skin starts to break. Be careful not to crush them completely. Return the potatoes to the saucepan and gently toss them with the rest of the garlic-rosemary mixture. You can leave the lamb and potatoes at room temperature if you're cooking immediately, or refrigerate them for up to 24 hours.
4. Now it's time to fire up the grill. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for two-zone cooking over medium-high heat. Clean the grates before you start grilling. Grill the lamb and potatoes over direct heat, flipping often until the potatoes are golden and crispy and the lamb reaches an internal temperature of 125 to 130°F for medium-rare. This should take between 7 to 14 minutes. If anything starts to char before it's done, move it to a cooler part of the grill, cover the grill, and continue cooking over indirect heat.
5. Serve the lamb with a generous serving of potatoes. If you have any leftover potatoes, they make a great addition to your breakfast the next morning.
This recipe serves three and has a difficulty level of 3 out of 10. So, whether you're a seasoned grill master or a novice, this is a great recipe to try out. Happy grilling!