Description

Tender, juicy, bite sized lamb chops meets sweet and savory apple chutney with a burst of fresh mint. Laced with natural flavors of caramel and cinnamon, organic Autumn Glory Apples bring fall flavors to the table year round.

Ingredients

2 dozen lollipop lamb chops (or 2 racks Frenched rack of lamb cut into chops)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 Autumn Glory Apples, peeled and diced ½ to ¼ inch
2 shallots, diced
1 tablespoon ginger paste
½ cup orange juice
½ cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
½ teaspoon ground mustard
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ tablespoon fresh mint, finely chopped

Instructions

Autumn Glory Apple + Mint Chutney

In a large sauce pan, combine all ingredients – excluding lamb, olive oil and mint – over high heat for five minutes.
Once mixture comes to a full boil, reduce heat to low and simmer 40 minutes covered.
Remove cover and increase heat to medium. Continue to cook an additional 15 minutes until remaining liquid cooks off.
Let cool completely, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in fresh chopped mint.

To prepare the lamb chops:

Preheat oven to 375°F with a large cast iron skillet inside.¹
While oven is preheating, pat lamb chops dry, lightly rub with olive oil, and season both sides with kosher salt and black pepper.²
Once oven is heated, remove the cast iron skillet and set on stove top over high heat. Sear the lamb chops on each side for 3 to 4 minutes. Once seared, return the cast iron skillet to the oven. Let bake for 5 minutes.
Remove the skillet from the oven and transfer lollipop lamb chops to a cutting board to rest for 5 minutes.
Transfer lamb chops to a serving dish and top rustically with Autumn Glory Apple + Mint Chutney.

Notes

¹Braising can be done without a cast iron pan using a non stick skillet in it’s place. No need to preheat non-stick skillet in the oven, but heat pan on high heat before searing lamb. If using a cast iron pan, preheating in the oven will help to maintain an even heat throughout the bottom of the pan when braising the lamb chops on the stove top.

²Remove lollipop lamb chops from the refrigerator 1 hour before braising. Let sit, uncovered at room temperature. Patting the meat dry with a paper towel will help form the perfect sear when braising the meat.

³Recipe includes 1 hour 20 minutes inactive time. If individual lollipop lamb chops are not available, you can ask your butcher to separate a Frenched rack of lamb, or slice them at home.