The perfect swirl on a soft-serve cone. Stopping the gas pump perfectly on the dollar. Rockstar parking at the grocery store. Some things are just sublimely satisfying. These oven-roasted, rosemary lamb chops deserve a place on that list. Tender. Rich. Perfectly satisfying.

You might be eating lamb more after making these. Fair warning.

Roasted Rosemary Lamb Chops with Chocolate Raspberry Ganache next to mashed potatoes

LET’S GET COOKIN’

INGREDIENTS

lamb chops
fresh mint
fresh rosemary
plain yogurt

INSTRUCTIONS

First things first. We need to clean lamb chops with a butter knife because little white flecks of bone get stuck to the meat. The VIDEO goes into detail about how this is accomplished. It sounds icky, but it’s not. This is the foundation for our perfect, oven roasted lamb chops.

The Yogurt Marinade

Next we need to wash and destem our rosemary and mint. We don’t need to chop them, but rubbing them in your fingers or lightly smooshing them with a mortar and pestle is a good practice. This will release loads of delicious oils and really intensify your marinade.

Combine all ingredients in bowl or gallon ziplock. Smush ingredients around with hands (if using the bag) or stir with spoon if using a bowl. This just coats your meat evenly.

Time to let that rest in the fridge overnight.

One Night Later

Remove your marinated meat from the fridge and rinse those lamb chops. It’s almost time. But first, strip a few stems of rosemary and FINELY DICE those rosemary leaves. The smaller the better. Combine with your 1/2 TBS (7.5 ml) of kosher salt. Use the blade of your knife (or, if you’re fancy, a mortar and pestle) to smash the rosemary into the salt. We’re infusing.

Sprinkle your rosemary infused salt over the rinsed and waiting lamb chops. I let my lamb get up to room temperature before I turn my oven on. Set oven to 350 *F (176 *C) and prepare for the glorious smells that your oven roasted lamb chops are about to bequeath to your kitchen.

Set lamb on foiled jelly roll pan and place in oven. At 15-minutes, stab a lamb chop with a meat thermometer.

Top Tip: Stab your lamb chop by the bone so you know what the slowest cooking bit of your lamb chop is doing.

With these little oven roasted lamb chops, they’ll cook well-done in 20-minutes. Pull them at 15-minutes and temp them with your meat thermometer. If you get in the 120 *F range it’s a perfect time to put your broil on and move them to the top rack. A little caramelization on top is perfection!

Top Tip: While broiling, WATCH YOUR LAMB LIKE A HAWK. BROILING IS A FAST PROCESS.

Remove from oven and let rest for 5-8-minutes. This lets the proteins re-absorb some of that juice. Trust me, the waiting is a good thing. Wait.

Enjoy your oven roasted lamb chops with some delicious chocolate raspberry ganache.

EQUIPMENT

FAQ

How long do you cook lamb chops?

With these little lamb chops they’ll cook well-done in 20-minutes. Pull them at 15-minutes and temp them with your meat thermometer. If you get in the 120 *F range it’s a perfect time to set your oven to broil and move them to the top rack. A little caramelization on top is perfection!

What sides go with oven roasted lamb chops?

Roasted potatoes, sautéed carrots, a delicious salad. But, just a warning, whatever side you pick, this lamb will be the star of the show.

When is my lamb done?

There are chefs that swear by poking, pinching, or their god-like ability to “just know” when meat is done. My brother can do this. He just knows. I however use a meat thermometer and go by the following chart:

115-120 *F (46-48 *C) = rare
120-125 *F (48-51 *C) = medium-rare For lamb I shoot for 130 *F (54 *C)
130-135 *F (54-57 *C) = medium
140-145 *F (60-62 *C) = medium-well
150+ *F (65+ *C ) = well done

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