Seared Lamb Chops With Lemon and Butter-Braised Potatoes

By Sam Sifton

Rating: 4(329)
Notes: Read community notes

This is a no-recipe recipe, a recipe without an ingredients list or steps. It invites you to improvise in the kitchen.

Cut some yellow potatoes into chunks and put them in a deep skillet set over medium-high heat, along with some chopped onions and a few tablespoons of butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for around 10 minutes, stirring often, then add enough chicken stock, water or wine so that the potatoes are almost covered. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Meanwhile, massage as many lamb chops as you need with minced garlic, salt, pepper and a little oil, then sear them in a hot cast-iron pan, finishing them in a 425-degree oven with rosemary and some thinly sliced lemons until the lamb is just pink inside, about 10 minutes, maybe fewer. Garnish with thyme or rosemary if you have it and serve alongside the potatoes. A fine midweek meal!

Sam Sifton features a no-recipe recipe every Wednesday in his What to Cook newsletter. Sign up to receive it. You can find more no-recipe recipes here.

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Ratings

4 out of 5

329 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Charles Michener5 years ago

I suggest rubbing the lamb chops with a whole or half clove of garlic. If you mince it, rub it into the chops and then sear them, the garlic will likely burn and taste bitter. You can intensify the garlic/rosemary flavor by first gently sauteeing minced garlic and rosemary in the oil, careful not to let them burn, for about five minutes or a little more. Then discard the garlic and rosemary and massage the chops with the flavored oil before searing them.

Ara Darakjian5 years ago

This was really good, especially the lamb chops. I think the non-recipe recipe ought to say "cover the potatoes and simmer." The liquid boiled away and had to be replenished. Next time I might boil the spuds first and then finish them in butter. An excellent meal.

Maria5 years ago

I never write but I needed to tell you much I enjoy your no recipe column. Every one of your no recipies have been wonderful! Today was simply perfect!

PetuniLA5 years ago

I was just wondering about the garlic burning. Good tip -- thanks! How long on each side would you sear the chops?

Mora5 years ago

We use garlic olive oil (homemade, sorry!) and probably overdo it on the salt and thyme and rosemary, but holy smokes, these are good! I roast a sheet pan's worth of rough-cut or new potatoes, giving them about a 25 min head start on the lamb. Crowd pleaser for sure!

Benjamin5 years ago

I didn't even use Lamb! I opted for pork chops heavily salted, oiled, peppered, rosemaried, and garliced to the max. Red potatoes and onions with 2.5 tbls butter (ish) cooked in a cast iron pan for 10 min and then ample cheap red wine. My garlic did not burn, and I cooked my chops in the oven at 450 for about 12 minutes (after the searing).

regina2 weeks ago

Seared these on the grill with the dry rub and then popped them in the oven. They were delicious and a nice change from my usual red wine, garlic, rosemary marinade.

David Spence3 months ago

Squeeze some lemon juice over the potatoes when sautéing them.

Kaylee6 months ago

my parter used this and absolutely knocked it out of the park. delicious non-recipe recipe!! he added some frozen pearl onions and it was fab.

brenda1 year ago

Because we love garlic I added minced garlic before adding the chicken stock and potatoes came out so delicious

steve2 years ago

Garlic tip is solid. Can’t sear without burning

Mary Lani2 years ago

This was the most incredible meal that we have had in a long time. We had it on New Year's eve. Thank you!!

Jane Potter3 years ago

3/29/21--excellent! (only did the lamb chop part)

julochka3 years ago

These were delicious - I added a little dash of calamansi soy sauce for umami and it was perfect with the TikTok feta-cherry tomato pasta that's going around these days.

Martin3 years ago

Dec 20 2 min each side, 10 min in oven. Done @145. Added some small potatoes. A good no recipe! Repeat.

Sam4 years ago

I think the lamb needs even less time than suggested but we really enjoy our meat on the rarer side. I did not enjoy the potatoes. Not really flavorful enough and took a very long time to get tender enough. Next time I will make roasted potatoes instead.

cindyd5 years ago

We’ve made this with various herbs and like it best with mint and rosemary. And totally agree about rubbing on the garlic. Last time, I chopped the mint and rosemary together with garlic and tucked it under the lemon slices as they went into the oven. Packed a lot of flavor.

Maria5 years ago

I never write but I needed to tell you much I enjoy your no recipe column. Every one of your no recipies have been wonderful! Today was simply perfect!

Chris5 years ago

Great meal and a success for the back-up cook in our kitchen (me), but take seriously the "10 minutes or less" oven time for the lamb, as our quite thick chops were good to go in 6 minutes.

Benjamin5 years ago

Mora5 years ago

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