Grilled Lamb with Roasted Fennel and Spicy Grape Relish

Slofoodgroup Team April 07, 2021

Grilled Lamb Chops with Fennel, Spicy Relish, and Pomegranate

If you've never cooked lamb chops before and feel intimidated by it, don't. Cooking lamb chops is similar to cooking steak, but easier. It only needs 1-2 minutes cooking time per side and a bit more in the oven for this particular recipe. As the lamb meat is rich in flavour, and often fatty, we recommend you to pair it with something tangy, such a lemon based sauce or a relish. In this recipe, we paired the lamb chops with a spicy, sweet and tangy grape relish that accompanies the meat beautifully. It pairs wonderfully with a classic potato mash. For a kick of freshness to the dish, add some mint leaves as well as some fresh pomegranate seeds.

 Sweet and Spicy Grape Relish atop Grilled Lamb and Roasted Fennel

Ingredients

For the grape relish:

• 1 tbsp cider vinegar
• 1 tsp light brown sugar
• 1 oz/50g red grapes, halved
• 1 red chilli, finely diced

For the lamb:

• 1 bulb fennel
  
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 6 lamb chops
• mix of freshly cracked black pepper and flake sea salt
• knob of butter
  
• few mint leaves, to garnish
• pomegranate seeds, to garnish
  
  

1. Start, by mixing all the ingredients for the grape relish and set aside to pickle.
2. Heat the oven to 500°F/200°C.
3. Remove the tougher outer parts of the fennel bulb and thinly slice it; heat the olive oil in a cast iron skillet in the oven for about 10 minutes, and then pop the fennel into it; season and roast for 15 minutes.
4. While the fennel is cooking, heat a frying pan to medium high; season the lamb chops well with the mix of flake sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper.
5. Once the pan is smoking hot, add the butter in and allow to melt; add the lamb chops in batches and brown for 1-2 minutes/side to get some color.
6. Remove the cast iron skillet from the oven and transfer the lamb chops on top of the roasting fennel; cook for an additional 7 minutes for medium-rare or for 10 minutes for well done;
7. Serve with the grape relish on top, along with a sprinkle of fresh mint leaves and pomegranate seeds.