Did you ever watch Lamb Chop’s Play-Along as a kid, listen to that song that "never ends" and then wish you could roast Lamb Chop to make that terrible, terrible music stop? No? Well, maybe that was just me then. Jokes aside, I love a good lamb chop. Since I live in the belt line, the Calgary Co-op downtown marketplace is my go-to grocery store and they’ve got a wicked meat counter there. So, if I’m not at the farmers’ market, this is typically where I’ll grab my cuts of meat for dinner. Anyway, that’s my tip of the day… onto the food!

Serves 4

Total cook time: 40 min

What you’ll need:

Salsa:

1 green apple (cored, 1/4″ diced)

1/2 red onion (diced)

1/4 mint leaves (loosely chopped)

2 TSP lemon juice

1 TSP white sugar

1 TSP lemon zest

1/2 TSP chili powder

salt and pepper

Carrot Tomato Puree:

1 yellow onion (diced)

2 cloves garlic (minced)

3 carrots (peeled, 1″ chopped)

1 red potato (peeled, 1″ cubed)

2 TBSP butter

2 cups chicken stock

1 TBSP tomato paste

2 TSP lemon zest

salt and pepper

olive oil

Lamp Chops:

4 lamb chops

salt and pepper

olive oil

For the salsa, place the first seven ingredients in a small mixing bowl and toss with a spoon until sugar has dissolved and everything is well combined. Season liberally with salt and pepper, toss again, and place in the refrigerator until you’re ready to serve.

Moving onto the puree, put the onion and garlic into a medium-sized pot, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and let cook on medium-high heat until the onions begin to caramelize, about 10-12 minutes. Next, add the carrots, potato, and butter to the pot and let cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Then, stir in the stock (should be just enough to cover the chopped vegetables, add more if needed), tomato paste, and lemon zest. Let the mixture simmer for 10 more minutes or until the potato is soft and can be pierced easily with a fork. Pour the contents of the pot into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Return to pot, season with salt and pepper to taste, and keep warm on the stove until ready to serve.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Rub the lamb chops on all sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place a pan on the stove and turn to high heat. Once the pan is nice and hot, sear the chops on the top and bottom, approximately 2-3 minutes per side. Finish in the pre-heated oven for about 8 more minutes for a nice medium-rare piece of meat. Let the lamb rest for a few minutes before serving.

Plate it all up by putting a generous spoonful of the carrot tomato puree on the plate first, top with a lamb chop, finishing with a couple spoonfuls of the apple mint salsa. Done and done!

 Dan Clapson is a food writer and culinary instructor based out of Calgary. He is constantly creating new recipes and striving to expand his culinary horizons. He thinks yam fries are overrated.