Seared Lamb Chops With Anchovies, Capers and Sage
Published May 3, 2011
Andrew Scrivani for The New York Times
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
6 baby lamb chops (1 ¼ pounds)
Salt
pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 anchovy fillets
3 tablespoons drained capers
15 sage leaves
⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Lemon wedges, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (2 servings)
7 grams carbs; 215 milligrams cholesterol; 1105 calories; 46 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 37 grams saturated fat; 97 grams fat; 4 grams fiber; 819 milligrams sodium; 49 grams protein
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Rinse the lamb chops and pat them dry. Season them with salt and pepper, and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Step 2
Over medium-high heat, warm a skillet large enough to hold all the chops in one layer. Add the oil and when it shimmers, add the anchovies and capers. Cook, stirring, until the anchovies break down, about 3 minutes.
- Step 3
Arrange the lamb chops in the skillet and fry, without moving them, until brown, about 3 minutes. Turn them over, and toss the sage leaves and pepper flakes into the pan. Cook until lamb reaches the desired doneness, about 2 minutes for medium-rare.
- Step 4
Arrange the chops on serving plates. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 1 minute, then spoon the sauce over the lamb. Serve with the lemon wedges.
Private Notes
Comments
Very good, as almost everyone agrees. Go light on salting the chops in step 1, although I didn't find the end result overly salty. The biggest change I would make is in the final step. Adding the garlic to the hot oil will burn it in seconds. Instead, empty the pan, including the oil, then pour in a good splash of white wine along with the garlic. You'll deglaze all those yummy drippings and cook the garlic more gently. When the wine reduces to a syrup, pour it over the chops.
I wish I could upload audio of my boyfriend and I moaning for 20 minutes straight while we ate this. I'd file this recipe under "Holy Experiences," right next to Brittany Howard and psilocybin.
Come for the lamb—stay for the fried capers.
My husband just cooked this and it was a hit! It has a deep roast lamb flavour with only ten minutes cooking time. He altered it slightly by using 4 chops, 1.5 tbs capers, 1.5 anchovies and salting just one side of each chop. Wasn't too salty. He deglazed the pan with some white wine and lemon juice. I will be requesting this one again!
Unskilled, practiced cook, followed the recipe closely though added the garlic earlier. Absolutely delicious!
Wow. This was delicious. As someone who has a favorite lamb chop recipe already, I was skeptical if this one could challenge it. What a delightful change. I normally use Mountain Moma cooks pan seared lollipop chops with rosemary recipe (highly recommend), but this one was amazing as well. I did as some commenters suggested, use the white wine to deglaze at the end, and I doubled the (minced-not chopped) garlic, added a bit more sage, skimped on the salt and BAM! Wow. Delicious sauce to drizzle on the lamb. Delish! We even thinned out the sauce after with olive oil to make it go further for leftovers and it was still amazing. We did a triple recipe so had some (and I mean only some) leftovers for the next day.
Very good. Cooked homegrown garlic at the end with some dry vermouth, as suggested, and it was a big hit. Served it with scalloped potatoes and steamed broccoli, both veggies from the farmer's market.