Lamb chops with Mediterranean stew
Lamb chops, al fresco style. Marcus Wareing uses every scrap of meat for this summery dish, served alongside a tomato stew and fried potatoes.
Ingredients
- 4 lamb chops, end scraps (the belly) cut off and reserved for later
- olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the stew
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 white onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into 1cm/½in pieces
- 1 green pepper, deseeded and cut into 1cm/½in pieces
- 1 aubergine, cut into 1cm/½in cubes
- 2 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 fresh rosemary sprig
- 1 large heritage tomato, chopped
- 500ml/18fl oz tomato passata
- few spoonfuls from a tin of tomatoes, for texture (optional)
- handful fresh basil, leaves picked, plus extra to serve
For the potatoes
Method
Heat a frying pan over a low heat for 5–10 minutes. Add the chops, fatty-side down, to gently render. Leave over a low heat until liquid fat appears in the pan (if juices appear, the chops have been cooked for too long). Set aside.
Dice the reserved lamb scraps into chunks. Remove the chops from the pan, then add the scraps to cook in the fat until crispy. Once cooked, remove the scraps and set aside. Leave the frying pan and residual fat off the heat, to use later.
For the stew, heat the oil in a separate frying pan over a low–medium heat and add the onion with a pinch of salt. Cook the onions for a few minutes, then add the garlic, red pepper, green pepper, aubergine, thyme and rosemary sprigs. Cook for 5 minutes until the vegetables are just tender. Season with salt and pepper.
Add the fresh tomato, passata, a spoonful of tinned tomato sauce, if using, and the basil to the stew. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Don’t allow it to boil to avoid overcooking the vegetables.
Put the lamb chops in a shallow bowl and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Transfer the chops to a new frying pan set over a low–medium heat, or onto a barbecue grill. Cook for about 1–2 mins on each side (depending on the thickness), allowing to char. If using a barbecue, you can add a drizzle of olive oil on top of the chops to fan the flames and add an even smokier char.
Remove the chops from the pan or grill and leave to rest for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the boiled potatoes and fry in the reserved lamb fat, seasoning as you go with most of the rosemary, salt and pepper. Add the crispy lamb scraps to the potatoes, plus the paprika. Stir to combine.
To serve, layer the lamb chops on top of the stew and garnish with a few more torn basil leaves, rosemary and a drizzle of olive oil. Enjoy alongside the potatoes.
Recipe Tips
For this recipe you can use the hob, or a combination of the barbecue and hob.
