Sautéed Lamb Chops with Roasted Green Beans

“Hey, it’s Lamb Chop’s Play-Along where kids come to play along, and fun things are all we ever do. Yeah, it’s Lamb Chop’s Play-Along. Come join the kids and play along. We’ve got a lot of good stuff for you.” I don’t know how a reference to the childhood classic Lamb Chop’s Play-Along never made an appearance on the blog, but it was great. It introduced my generation to The Song that Never Ends and hence a way to annoy parents across the country. I digress…

I am now one of the newest guest food bloggers for CurlyNikki.com—a website “created to serve as an online ‘hair therapy session’ for those struggling to embrace their naturally curly hair.” Although I may not necessarily be her target demographic, I am ecstatic to contribute delicious recipes and see where this collaboration will take us. The recipe below originally appeared on her site as my first guest post. Also, she has a book out now! I want to be her when I grow up… Go get yourself a copy to support!

Ingredients:

• olive oil
• fresh green beans, stems removed
• salt
• black pepper
• garlic powder
• lamb chops
• neutral oil (i.e. canola, corn, vegetable, etc.)

Procedure:

1. Preheat oven to 450˚F.
2. In a roasting pan, drizzle the green beans with olive oil and season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; toss to coat; place in oven and cook for about 15 minutes so that the beans still have some crunch, but have started to brown slightly.
3. Place a skillet over medium-high flame and add a couple tablespoons of neutral oil. (NOTE: When sautéing most meats you want to get your skillet SUPER hot—probably hotter than you think you should actually. You want to get your pan to the point where the oil starts to shimmer and you can just barely begin to see a few whiffs of smoke rising from the skillet; this will allow you to get a great sear, which is the hallmark of a well cooked piece of meat.)
4. Season both sides of the chops with salt, pepper, and garlic powder; place in skillet and cook until you get a good sear on the first side; flip over, turn down heat, and cook until desired doneness.