Description
Sheet Pan Mediterranean Baked Lamb Chops with Root Vegetables. A special marinade with quality extra virgin olive oil, garlic and warm spices adds all the flavor. Gluten Free.
Be sure to read the post for more important tips.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 lamb loin chops, each about 1 1/2 inch in thickness
- Kosher salt
- 1 Acorn Squash (if available, or a similar squash)
- 1 head garlic (about 12 to 14 cloves), peeled and minced
- 1/3 cup Private Reserve extra virgin olive oil, more if needed
- 2 1/2 tsp ground allspice, divided
- 2 tsp black pepper, divided
- 1 1/2 tsp sweet Spanish paprika, divided
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg, divided
- 1 large red onion, peeled, halved then thickly sliced
- 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
- 2 carrots, peeled, cut into large pieces
- 3 tbsp white wine vinegar
- honey
- Fresh parsley for garnish
To serve along:
- 1 Tahini Sauce Recipe (optional)
Instructions
- Salt lamb chops. Season lamb chops with Kosher salt on both sides. Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the remaining ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Prepare Acorn Squash. Microwave the acorn squash for 1 to 2 minutes (this helps soften it a bit for cutting.) Handle carefully. When cool enough to handle, place acorn squash on a cutting board. Cut stem off, and trim both ends about 1/4 inch. Cut acorn squash in half crosswise, and scoop out the seeds. Now, take each half and cut into 1/2-inch thick rings.
- Make marinade. In a large bowl, combine minced garlic, extra virgin olive oil, 1 tsp allspice, 1 tsp black pepper, 3/4 tsp paprika, and 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg. Mix well. (leave rest of spices for later.)
- Dip Vegetables in Marinade. Add the vegetables (sliced acorn squash, onions, sweet potatoes, and carrots) to the marinade bowl with the garlic marinade (you may need to do this in stages.) Give them a quick toss, then transfer vegetables to a large sheet pan. Season with kosher salt.
- Marinate Lamb. To the marinade bowl, add more extra virgin olive oil. Add white wine vinegar, and the remaining spices. Mix well. Add lamb chops in and toss to coat. Set aside to marinate.
- Bake Vegetables. Place vegetables in heated oven and bake for 15 minutes or so.
- Brown Lamb then Add to Vegetable Pan. When 15 minutes have passed, remove the vegetables from oven and set near you (leave oven on.) Heat a little bit of extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add lamb and brown on both sides (about 3 minutes per side.) Transfer lamb to the vegetable pan, and return to heated oven to bake for 10 minutes (lamb will be medium-rare to medium. Bake a little longer for medium-well.)
- Drizzle with honey. When ready, remove pan from oven and immediately drizzle honey all over the lamb and vegetables. Garnish with parsley.
- Let lamb chops sit for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with a side of tahini sauce, if you like.
Notes
- Cook’s Tip #1: Salt the lamb chops before you do anything else to allow the salt some time to flavor and tenderize the lamb chops.
- Cook’s Tip #2: While the extra virgin olive oil provides juiciness, and the spices provide flavor, we need the added citrus from the white wine vinegar to help break down the lamb chops so that the spices penetrate more deeply. That’s why the white wine vinegar is added to the marinade at a later point.
- Cooks Tip #3: Let the baked lamb chops rest for 10 minutes or so before cutting into them. This allows them to retain their juices and stay nice and tender.
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in fridge for up to 3 days. Heat in medium-heated oven, adding a little liquid to the pan.
- Visit our Online Shop to browse our extra virgin olive oil bundles, all-natural and organic spices, including allspice, paprika, and nutmeg used in this recipe.
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 30 mins
- Category: Entree/Dinner
- Method: Baked
- Cuisine: Mediterranean