Lamb Chops with Dried Cherries and Port

As of late, lamb has been one of my favorite meats to cook. I love red meat despite the bad rap it can have. Fortunately, lamb is one of the leaner options when it comes to red meat which is why it's better to cook rather than, say, a New York Strip Steak . The other reason I enjoy is it is I feel its easier to control portion sizes.

Usually when I cook lamb I like to marinate it in a combination or herbs, citrus, and garlic, and spices. I'll post that recipe some time, but today I'm going to post a new recipe I tried last weekend. Though my citrus-herb marinade is a healthier option, I was a little tired of it though it usually never fails.

Anyway, I've had this bottle of port laying around since September and I was looking for an excuse to open it. Then came along this recipe. I never really thought of a port-cherry sauce for lamb so why not give it a shot as I love port, cherries, and lamb. Why not together?

I made a few alterations to the recipe based on the items I had in the home. See my alterations in parentheses below. The substitution I wasn't confident about though turned out nicely was my substitution for cardamom. I read that cardamom was in the ginger family so I added a small amount (1/8 teaspoon) to the sauce. I also decided to add some all spice and nutmeg too as I felt they would pair well with the cherries in port. In the end, I think this is what makes the sauce as the spice pairs well with the sauce and makes a nice contrast to the mint which is sprinkled on top.

Recipe courtesy of Epicurious.com

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 4 4-to 5-ounce loin lamb chops (I used 6, 3 oz chops)
  
• 1/3 cup chopped shallots
• 3/4 cup ruby Port
• 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth
• 1/2 cup dried tart cherries (I used dried currants since I already had an open box)
  
• 3 tablespoons cherry jam
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom (I didn't have this at home either so I used a mixture of all spice, ginger, and nutmeg. 1/8t of each)
• Chopped fresh mint or parsley

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Also, heat oil in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper.

2. Add lamb to skillet. Sear for 1-2 minutes per side. Transfer lamb to oven, turning once halfway through.

3. While lamb is cooking, add shallots to same skillet; sauté 1 minute. Add Port, broth, cherries, jam, vinegar, and cardamom; boil until cherries plump and liquid is syrupy and has reduced, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

4. My lamb was done about the same time my sauce was done - roughly 10-12 minutes. Remove lamb from oven and spoon sauce over lamb. Sprinkle with mint.

I served my meal with an herb basmati rice, roasted asparagus, and St. Francis Old Vine Zinfandel.

Buon Appetito!
- Lindsay