As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small amount from qualifying purchases if you follow a link from my site to Amazon.
My Seared Lamb Chop with Garlic Butter is a savior when a special occasion is coming up and I want to enjoy eating with my husband without tons of prep work. The best part is that my son loves eating lamb, so I don’t have to worry about whether my son will boycott dinner.
Don’t get me wrong; I love steakhouses and love eating out. However, the thought of Valentine’s Day dinner at a restaurant just drives me bonkers. I do not want to wait in a busy restaurant where the staff is probably stressed out and crazy busy let alone spend tons of money for heavy food and dessert that I overeat just because I’ve convinced myself I should at special occasions.
Date night doesn’t have to be expensive when you can cook these tender lamb chops at home. Cooking lamb chops at home is easy once you get comfortable with cooking at high heat and learn not to constantly touch or flip your meat. It’s much more affordable than eating out. It’s also easy to double the recipe for a family and you can save the lamb bones to cook another favorite dish in my house, Slow Cooker Lamb Stroganoff!
Health Benefits: Lamb
As you can imagine, lamb can help maintain muscle mass and strengthen muscles because of its protein. Eating meat can help avoid the medical condition anemia which is when you do not have enough iron in your blood.
Interestingly, lamb meat has the highest concentration of certain healthy types of ruminant trans fats that can possibly help reduce body fat. These types of ruminant trans fats are not necessarily safe in large amounts found in supplements, so the best way to get it into your body is in the naturally occurring amounts found in food, such as in lamb.
I know, many of you probably don’t like lamb because of the gaminess or because you are against eating a sheep that was put to rest in the first year of life. However, if you are having trouble with iron and B vitamin intake, this may be another option for you besides taking vitamins that are not necessarily strenuously studied for effectiveness and safety.
How is cooking lamb at home healthier than eating it out at a restaurant?
If you have been to a restaurant or steak house, you may have noticed that your plate of meat comes out on a sizzling hot plate. That hot plate is meant to keep the gobs of butter that they cooked your steak in warm so it stays in a liquid state longer. The butter is not so appetizing once it starts to cool off and harden. You’ll also see that there is probably 3 or 4 tablespoons worth of butter coating your meat and your plate.
This recipe uses just 1 tablespoon of butter per pound of chops. Thus, you will still get some butter flavor but without more than is needed to add richness to these lamb chops. There’s also a lot more fresh herbs and garlic which provides naturally occurring vitamins and minerals. You will be happily surprised at how satisfying and tasty these Seared Lamb Chops with Garlic Butter are.
Why use a cast iron pan?
A cast iron retains heat well and gets hot quickly compared to some of the cheaper stainless steel pans out there. The best are the ones that are already pre-seasoned and I’ve been using my cast iron pan by Lodge for over a decade. Check out the Amazon Affiliate link under the photo to check out this great pan!
Some downfalls with cast iron is that it can develop rust and it’s dangerous for your food to be exposed to rust. It’s very humid in Hawaii so if you don’t use your cast iron pan regularly, it is more prone to rust because of our climate. Then you must re-season it more regularly. If you plan to buy one, I have more cast iron pan recipes being developed to share with you when they’re perfected!
Love this recipe? You have got to try some of these other dinner recipes that the family will love.
Seared Lamb Chops with Garlic Butter
Equipment
- 1 large plate
- 1 large cutting board
- 1 chef's knife
- 1 cast iron pan or stainless steel sauté pan
- 1 tongs
- 1 stainless steel mesh splatter screen optional, to prevent big greasy messes
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 serving plate or platter
Ingredients
- 1 lb bone-in lamb chops
- ½ tbsp fresh thyme chopped
- ½ tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter or unsalted garlic herb butter
- 1 pinch salt
- 2 garlic clove chopped
Instructions
- Take lamb chops out of fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 25 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, measure and prepare your other ingredients and set aside.
- Heat cast iron skillet or large sauté pan on medium-high heat until it just starts to smoke, for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Season both sides of the lamb chops with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary.
- Add olive oil to pan then place lamb chops in pan leaving space between each lamb chop so they brown. If using, cover the pan with the splatter screen. Sear the lamb chops for 8 minutes and DO NOT TOUCH the lamb chops before the 8-minute mark.
- After 8 minutes, flip the lamb chops and return the splatter screen to the pan. Cook for another 2 minutes (medium) to 5 minutes (medium well/well) to your preferred doneness. For medium rare chops, cut the first sear time from 8 minutes to 5 minutes. (If you have the patience, sear the sides of the chops for a minute per side after the first 2 minutes.) Set cooked lamb chops aside on a plate to rest for at least 10 minutes before cutting.
- Lower the heat of your stove to low medium heat. Add butter, pinch of salt, and sliced garlic and cook for 1 to 3 minutes until the garlic starts to get crispy, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon so the garlic doesn't burn.
- Serve 2 to 3 lamb chops per person. Pairs well with roasted vegetables or a side salad and a starchy side (rice, couscous, potatoes, etc.).
