Brown butter lamb chops with minted pea purée with
Serving vegetables like peas as a purée means that it doubles up as a sauce and it simply looks luxurious. Mint and lamb have always been great partners, and the bright green peas bring so much freshness to a Winter’s day. This dish is an easy, any-day meal because it doesn’t take long to cook, but it can also be an impressive dinner party main course.
Ingredients
(serves 4)
3 cups frozen peas or petit pois
a handful mint leaves, with woody stalks discarded
salt & pepper
30 ml butter
CHOPS
4 tablespoons butter (60 g / 60 ml)
5 ml olive oil
8 lamb chops (loin or rib chops)
salt & pepper
a squeeze of fresh lemon juice
crispy greens, to serve (like mange tout and pea
shoots), optional
Method
PURÉE
Place the peas in a small pot, cover with water and bring to a simmer. Cook for 90 seconds (for small peas, or 2 minutes for large peas), then strain the water, reserving 1/3 cup of it for blending. Place the peas immediately into a blender, add the mint, season with salt & pepper and add a few tablespoons of the cooking liquid. Blend for at least 2 minutes to form a nice smooth purée, adding more liquid if necessary. Add the butter and blend to mix, then set aside until ready to serve (can easily be reheated in a microwave).
CHOPS
In a wide pan over medium-high heat, melt the butter and add the oil. Fry the chops on both sides while seasoning with salt & pepper. Cook until brown but still tender, turning the chops on their fatty sides to render the fat and give it good colour – the butter will turn dark brown and add some extra flavour. End with a squeeze of lemon juice, then serve warm on the (warmed) pea purée. Use a teaspoon to drizzle some of the brown butter in the pan over the dish.
