Serves: 4 - Time:
My oven is on the blink so the challenge is to find dishes that I can cook on the hob. I love these lamb chops with their crispy shells encasing the succulent meat. My racks were tiny so took only about 5 minutes to cook but you may buy bigger ones (especially if you get them from a butcher), in which case fry them for a minute or two longer. French –trimmed means the lamb is without fat and the bones are scraped clean.
Ingredients
- For the anchovy and garlic dip
- 6 large garlic cloves, peeled
- 100ml double cream
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 8 fillets anchovies in oil
- 1 egg yolk
- 100ml extra-virgin olive oil
- For the crispy lamb
- 2 racks lamb (French-trimmed)
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds, ground to a powder
- 20g plain flour
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 60g panko breadcrumbs
- Oil for shallow frying
Method
- Put the garlic cloves in a small saucepan with the cream and rosemary. Cook over a very low heat for 8-10 minutes until the cream is thick and the garlic has softened slightly. Leave to cool then remove the rosemary. Place the cooled cream and garlic in the small bowl of a food processor and add the anchovies and some ground black pepper. Blend until smooth and, with the motor still running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The mixture should be thick and creamy. Scrape into a bowl and chill until ready to serve.
- For the crispy lamb, put the lamb on a chopping board and cut down between each bone. You should get about 6-7 individual chops, depending on the size of the rack. Put the ground fennel seeds in a small dish and stir in the flour and a good pinch or two of salt and lots of ground black pepper. Put the beaten eggs in another shallow bowl. Finally pour the panko crumbs into a third shallow dish.
- Dip each chop into the flour, followed by the egg and finally roll in the panko crumbs.
- Heat about 1-2cm oil in a large frying pan, until a cube of bread browns in 30 seconds. Fry about 4-6 of the chops for about 3 minutes until golden brown then turn over and fry for a further 2-3 minutes. Transfer to an ovenproof dish and keep warm in a low oven until you have fried all the chops. Serve warm with the anchovy and garlic sauce.
