Grilled Provençal Lamb Chops

Here is a delicious taste of what you might savour if you were to venture to Provence, a classic French country barbeque grill recipe.

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Yields1 Serving
 Lamb chops, loin or rib chops
 1/4 cup extra virgin truffle olive oil (if you don’t have truffle oil, regular will be fine)
 Pinch of cayenne pepper
 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
 1 tsp dried oregano
 1 tsp dried rosemary (or fresh finely chopped if you prefer)
 2 cloves garlic, minced
 Course ground salt, preferably sea salt
 Rosemary sprigs
1

Trim any excess fat from the lamb chops.

2

Mix the cayenne pepper into the olive oil and pour the olive oil over the lamb.

3

Combine other marinade ingredients, pour over the lamb and rub marinade over all the surfaces of the chops. Don’t be afraid to really get your hands dirty, the more friction, the more flavours will stick!

4

Cover lightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or let sit at room temperature to macerate for 30 minutes – 1 hour (rub and move it around a bit more every 30 minutes or so).

5

When the meat has marinated enough time, drain and liberally salt the lamb chops on both sides.

6

In the meantime, heat your grill and lightly oil with olive oil.

7

Cook the chops to a nice golden brown crust, about 3 – 5 minutes per side for rare. If you like your chops a big more done and warmed up on the inside (medium-rare or medium) leave them on a bit longer.

8

When the lamb is almost finished, add the rosemary sprigs to the coals to burn. Cover to allow the chops to absorb the savory rosemary smoke essence.

9

Remove the grilled lamb chops and let them rest 5 minutes or so before serving with your favorite side dish.

Travel Tip if you are so inclined to savour Provence as I was!
Follow Your Fellow Foodies: As in just about every aspect of travel planning, the Internet is invaluable. Google is a great place to start, and queries like ‘best restaurants in Provence’ will lead you in many directions. There are great foodie discussions boards, like chowhound.com, whose motto is ‘for people who live to eat.’


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Ingredients

 Lamb chops, loin or rib chops
 1/4 cup extra virgin truffle olive oil (if you don’t have truffle oil, regular will be fine)
 Pinch of cayenne pepper
 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
 1 tsp dried oregano
 1 tsp dried rosemary (or fresh finely chopped if you prefer)
 2 cloves garlic, minced
 Course ground salt, preferably sea salt
 Rosemary sprigs

Directions

1

Trim any excess fat from the lamb chops.

2

Mix the cayenne pepper into the olive oil and pour the olive oil over the lamb.

3

Combine other marinade ingredients, pour over the lamb and rub marinade over all the surfaces of the chops. Don’t be afraid to really get your hands dirty, the more friction, the more flavours will stick!

4

Cover lightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or let sit at room temperature to macerate for 30 minutes – 1 hour (rub and move it around a bit more every 30 minutes or so).

5

When the meat has marinated enough time, drain and liberally salt the lamb chops on both sides.

6

In the meantime, heat your grill and lightly oil with olive oil.

7

Cook the chops to a nice golden brown crust, about 3 – 5 minutes per side for rare. If you like your chops a big more done and warmed up on the inside (medium-rare or medium) leave them on a bit longer.

8

When the lamb is almost finished, add the rosemary sprigs to the coals to burn. Cover to allow the chops to absorb the savory rosemary smoke essence.

9

Remove the grilled lamb chops and let them rest 5 minutes or so before serving with your favorite side dish.

Notes

Grilled Provençal Lamb Chops

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