Lamb and mint are a very traditional English combination. But the straight mint jelly that is often served with lamb is a little too sweet for our taste. Add some fresh lemon juice for tartness, a bit of cardamom for a touch of exotic aromaticity, and some butter to smooth the whole thing out, and you've got the makings of a great but very quick and simple pan sauce.
This recipe is also great on the grill. But since a hot fire, which is what you should use, is a bit hotter than the broiler even set on high, cook the chops for about 1 minute less per side.
Here we are calling for chops from the rib area of the lamb, the lamb equivalent of the Delmonico steak. Since these chops are relatively thin, we are using double-thick ones here, each containing two rib bones. Although not as expensive as loin chops, they are still going to set you back a bit, but they are really excellent little chops. A slightly less costly approach is to buy whole racks and cut them into 2-bone chops.
Other cuts you can use:
If you don't mind the expense, double loin chops are an excellent substitute in this recipe.
