Thyme-Roast Lamb Chops with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Potatoes & Goat Cheese

Vegetable bed for the Lamb Chops

Yellow Tomato Gazpacho

Thyme-Roast Lamb Chops with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Potatoes & Goat Cheese was a new recipe for us. I really liked it. We could have been in Provence. This is a wonderful recipe. Last summer during the height of the Pandemic we did not make one of my favorite summer soups. The recipe for Yellow Tomato Gazpacho from The Sunday Supper at Lucques Cook Book. We have made it many times. We couldn't find Yellow Tomatoes. This summer we did, so we could make the excellent chilled soup. You can find the recipe on our blog of July 29, 2009. Click the date to get the recipe.

Thyme-Roast Lamb Chops with Tomatoes, Black Olives, Potatoes & Goat Cheese

From the Oven to the Table

Diana Henry

 

Not an all-in-one dish, as you have to brown the chops and then put them on top of the vegetables, but even in the short period they’re in the oven at the same time, the juices from the lamb flavor the potatoes, bringing both components together. The chops will take 10—12 minutes, depending on your oven. Keep an eye on them the first time you make this dish and then you’ll know how long to cook them the next time. SERVES 4

 

8       thick loin lamb chops

4       tablespoons extra virgin olive Oil, plus a little more

leaves from 5 thyme sprigs, plus 3 whole thyme sprigs

1       lb small waxy potatoes, scrubbed, halved or quartered, depending on size

3/4    lb cherry tomatoes

1       large red onion, cut into Wedges;

sea saIt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

1       head of garlic

Scant 1 cup good-quality black olives, pitted or not, as you prefer

5       oz goat cheese, broken y into rough chunks

 

Put the chops in a dish with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and half the thyme. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour, or in the refrigerator overnight.

When you’re ready to cook, preheat the oven to 4-00°F.

Put the potatoes, along with the tomatoes and onion, into a large gratin dish or a shallow casserole (about 12in across is ideal) in which all the vegetables can lie in a single layer. Add the rest of the oil, some salt and pepper, and the rest of the thyme. Separate the cloves of garlic and add those, too (you don’t need to peel them). Toss everything together and roast in the oven for 25 minutes. Add the olives and scatter the goat cheese over the top. Spoon on a little more oil. Return the dish to the oven for 10 minutes.

 

Heat a frying pan over a very high heat until really hot, season the chops, and sear them until browned, about 1-1/2 minutes on each side.

 

Put the chops on top of the vegetables and roast for a final 10 minutes, by which time they should be cooked through, but remain a little rare. The vegetables should be tender and the goat cheese toasted on top.