lamb chops with minted pea mash
May 28, 2013 § 36 Comments
It is still cool and rainy here in Seattle. Memorial Day usually inspires outdoor grilling, however, the rain never stopped yesterday. Turned out to be a perfect day to grill indoors and perhaps make a fennel and gruyére gratin. This was the first time I cooked lamb and it was delicious. I always thought in order to have succulent lamb it needed to be braised for hours in a stew. We used the most simplest stove top grilling technique and we were pleasantly surprised how well it turned out. I wonder how many other cooking misconceptions I have! The fennel gratin was a perfect accompaniment to this dinner. Unlike a potato gratin the fennel is light and the gruyére gave it a comforting element needed for a cool rainy day.
Served with a minted pea mash and a fennel gruyère gratin.
Ingredients
- 2-3 lamb cutlets
- olive oil
- salt and pepper
- a few wedges of lemon and/or fresh mint to serve
Method
Heat a ridged grill pan and brush both sides of lamb with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook the cutlets over high heat until browned on both sides. I cooked for 4 minutes each side and they were medium rare.
This was suppose to be a mint puree. It turned out a little thicker than I expected and instead of thinning it out I decided to keep the consistency as a mash. Very enjoyable. I seem to have been a little stuck on peas and mint lately in my posting. I just love using what is in season and freshly harvested.
Ingredients
- 8 oz. of fresh peas
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- sprinkling of salt and pepper
- about 8 mint leaves
- 1 squeeze of lemon
Method
Cook the peas in boiling water until tender, then drain. Stir in the butter until it melts. Transfer peas to a blender or food processor. Add the cream, salt and pepper, mint leaves and lemon juice and blend until smooth. Serve warm.
f e n n e l a n d g r u y è r e g r a t i n
Ingredients
- 3 fennel bulb, trimmed of outer leaves
- salt and pepper
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup grated gruyère cheese
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
Method
Preheat the oven to 400°. Trim the fennel tops and save any feathery fronds for later. Quarter the bulbs and cook in lightly salted boiling water for 5 minutes until tender. Drain well and place the fennel in a buttered gratin dish. Sprinkle the reserved fronds on top. Season with salt and pepper, pour on the cream and sprinkle with cheeses. Bake for 20 minutes. I sprinkled a few uncooked fronds on top after baking.
Serves 4
buon appetite.
COTTAGE GROVE HOUSE 
I love the combination of it all! The pea mash looks very tasty ( love the plate too!) I would even prefer it to the smoother kind.:-)
Hi Marie. Yes, I agree…I couldn’t imagine thinning the pea mash out into a puree. Thank you for your comment! :)
Bummer about the rain! But glad you still pulled off a delicious dish :)
I know…and today is a beautiful day, sun breaks and no rain. Oh well. Have a good day!
Beautiful and delectable meal. Yum!
Thank you Fae! Very kind comment. :)
Loving your gratin specially. Have never tried it before.
This was the first time I ever made the fennel gratin and we really loved it! I’ll will definitely make it again. Highly recommend it! :)
What a lovely meal, rainy day or no.
Thank you Michelle. Gratin on a rainy day is especially nice…
Glad you enjoyed your lamb. I have a fennel and potato gratin scheduled to post too. Fennel is so delicious cooked in cream with cheese added, but a rare treat in this house. Love your pea mash, something the English call mushy peas.
ooooh. I like the sound of “mushy peas”. I look forward to your gratin post soon! And I hear about a little “clean your fridge out” post coming soon? dollyrubiano has some great ideas! :)
Dolly does have great ideas, I had a lot of fun, and a delicious lunch yesterday. I’m ready to publish anytime
Your lamb chops and minted pea mash are gorgeous. And I bet they go hand in hand with each other as I always love a little mint with my lamb. :) Thanks for sharing.
Thank you! I remember my mom always serving mint jelly with lamb. :)
This is such a great combination of ingredients. Mint and lamb is just perfect!
I agree. Very nice flavors to combine.
A well balanced meal.
Fennel and gruyère, what a good idea!
Thank you Rosa. That was my favorite dish in this dinner…
oh this whole meal looks lovely! And it’s raining incessantly in Ontario too. I think we need it – the water level in the Great Lakes is down. But that said – some sunshine and warm weather would be welcome….;)
We are having some very wet days over here in Seattle. Still raining! I do love the rain. And it is saving me from watering the garden! :)
That’s EXACTLY what I’ve been saying. Although when the rain stops – the lawn will be a foot high! Never mind. We get what we get….may as well enjoy!
As a lamb person i think i adore your combination…..
i like to dip lamb kebab on spicy mint yoghurt sauce…
the mint peas sounds preety good too
My idea of a perfect meal. I had to keep swallowing while reading your post because (as God is my witness!) my mouth kept watering. The mint/pea puree sounds lovely. OK, resistance is futile, I HAVE to replicate this meal in its entirely.
Thank you so much for your kind comment! Coming from you it means so much. I truly love your blog. :)
There’s a Persian saying that “del be del rah dareh” which means “hearts are connected” and it is a florid way of saying “I feel the same way” and so: me too, ditto, I love your blog as well! :)))
The combination of peas and mint is delicious and with the lamb, wow, what a delicious meal.
Thank you so much Suzanne. :)
This is such a great combination! Love the grilled marks on that lamb. Sounds like a wonderful meal. :)
Thank you Anne.
Oh wow, that fennel looks amazing! Oh, I just love fennel, and with gruyere added into the mixture, I can just imagine! You know, I love peas but have never had a pea mash. Must definitely give it a try. Beautiful!
Thank you Lidia! You must make the fennel gruyere gratin! We loved it. Even my 15 year old son! :) The pea mash was great too…(15 year old didn’t like it so much though) :( He did love the cod!
Fennel served anyway works for me, but it is such a great foil for the gruyere, must give the combination a try. Thanks.
It really is a must have. I do enjoy a gruyere gratin using potatoes, however I must say this is much lighter and complements the lamb well.
This looks so delicious! What a fantastic combination with the lamb and minted pea mash. I’m definitely planning to try your version of gratin :) Thanks lovely!
Oh, my. We adore lamb. I have often paired salmon with pea puree but lamb – how did this never occur to me. Very lovely, indeed.