Indoor Grilling - Luscious Lamb Chops

Aren't you longing for the warmer days when you can light up the grill and throw on a steak, some chops or a burger? Well, you don't have to wait until spring. Get a grillpan or cast iron pan with some nice ridges that will give you those nice grillmarks on both sides, crank up the stovetop and create a make-shift indoor grill. The key to getting that grilled look and taste is to wait until the pan is very hot before cooking your food. Since it's marinated (only 1 hour), it'll get nice and crispy on the outside but stay moist and juicy on the inside. Happy grilling!

The following is an adaptation of a recipe from Australian Chef Neil Perry. He shared the recipe on Martha Stewart's show recently. Mostly the recipe is adapted because I didn't have one of her original ingredients (lemongrass) and there was one 1 ingredient I wasn't a fan of (cilantro) so I replaced it with parsley. I LOVED this recipe. Easy, fast and very tasty.

Lamb Chops with Lemongrass and Ginger

Ingredients:
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 stalks lemongrass, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise (I used 2 leeks instead)
• One 1/2-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
• 1 tsp of sea salt
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves (I used parsley instead)
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 12 lamb rib chops, about 1/2-inch thick (I cooked 8 of them and they were a bit thicker than 1/2-inch so I had to cook them longer, fyi)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• 4 lemon wedges

How to:
- Prepare marinade: Place the garlic, lemongrass, ginger, and salt in a mortar. Using a pestle, grind to a rough paste. Add cilantro and mint, and grind 1 minute more. Stir in oil.

- Place lamb chops in a shallow dish and pour over marinade; turn lamb to coat. Let stand 1 hour.

- Preheat a grill pan over high heat. Place lamb on grill, and cook, turning once, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer to a plate, cover to keep warm, and let stand in a warm place, about 10 minutes.

- Divide lamb evenly between 4 plates. Pour any juices that have accumulated on the plate over lamb. Season with pepper and garnish each plate with a lemon wedge.

These lambchops are finger licking good. Prepare yourself ;-)