LEBANESE LAMB CHOPS WITH LEMONY LETTUCE

I tried this a few weeks ago, and it was such a hit with the diners that I decided to make it again when we had guests on Sunday.  This is an excellent dish when you have company, because there is really very little prep time and you can pull it together very quickly at the end.  We served a squash and apple bisque for a first course, and I even got to join the guests to eat it!  While they were enjoying their wine, I spent about 20 minutes doing the actually grilling, and was back to join them again.  Plus, the spice mix on the lamb chips is very nice, with mild heat but a lot of flavor.  So, give these a try.

Lebanese Lamb Chops with Lemony Lettuce

2 large lemons (I like Meyer lemons for this)
1 teaspoon sugar
3 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided (the best one you have)
2 garlic cloves
1 Tablespoon baharat
     1 teaspoon whole cloves
     1 teaspoon cumin seeds
     1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
     3-inch cinnamon stick, broken in half
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
8 3/4-inch thick rib lamb chops (2 pounds)
2 heads Bibb (also called Boston) lettuce, torn into large pieces
1 1/2 cups mint leaves

Grate 2 teaspoons zest from 1 lemon into the bowl you will use for the spice rub.  Trim the ends of both lemons, then stand lemons on a cut side and cut peel, including white pith, from lemons with a sharp paring knife (discard peel).

Cut segments free from membranes, then cut segments crosswise into 1/4-inch pieces.

Toss lemon segments gently with sugar in a bowl and stir in 2 Tablespoons oil.  Let stand at room temperature for at least 10 minutes or up to 2 hours for flavors to develop.  The second time I made this, I mixed the dressing in the bottom of the salad bowl...one less bowl to wash.

Grind the four spices for the baharat in a coffee mill or spice grinder.  I keep one coffee mill exclusively for grinding spices, mainly because it seems likely that a mild spice flavor would linger and flavor the coffee.  Sometimes that might be good, but mostly not so much.

Grind until a fine powder.

Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt, then stir together with baharat, grated zest, remaining Tablespoon olive oil, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

Rub all over lamb chops.  When we had guests I put them in a glass baking pan, covered it with plastic wrap and popped them back into the refrigerator.  About an hour before cooking, I brought them back out and removed the plastic wrap so they could get back up to room temperature.

Toss lettuce and mint with lemon mixture.

I have this wonderful Scanpan grill that fits over two burners and is virtually nonstick.  I let it heat up for about 20 minutes, so that the heat is evenly distributed.  If grilling outdoors, you can put the chops directly on the grill.  On an indoor grill, you may need to brush the grill with a little canola oil first.

Grill chops, turning once, about 6 minutes for medium-rare.  This is where cutting them evenly really helps.  There is always a fat chop at the end, and you can either cut it to the same size as the others and cook it longer or cut a separate little cutlet.  It also really helps to use a meat thermometer.  Your goal is 145 degrees F, and lamb is really best kept medium rare, as it gets tougher the longer you cook it.

Transfer to a plate and let rest, loosely covered, 5 minutes.

Serve chops with salad.

Serves 4.