THIN-CUT LAMB SHOULDER CHOPS IN A SKILLET WITH SAUCE

Thin-Cut Lamb Shoulder Chops in a Skillet with Sauce image

Here's an uncommon preparation for one of the most common and popular cuts of meat in the market: thin-cut lamb shoulder chops. They're inexpensive, wide, and meaty. Barely 1/2 inch thick, they look like they'll cook in a minute, perfect for fast family suppers. But shoulder chops also have lots of cartilage and gristle, and usually two sets of bones, which call for slow cooking (and the meat is tougher than it looks). Though it is a thin chop, it will take about 20 minutes to cook. Get out the big skillet to caramelize the meat and flavoring agents, and then bring everything together in a superb sauce. With surprising ingredients, this is a good recipe to add to your growing repertoire of aglio e olio base sauces. Also, as the sauce reduces, it actually braises the chops for a few minutes, which tenderizes the meat a bit, although it will still be chewy (which I love). What is surprising about the sauce? In addition to my usual aglio, olio, e peperoncino, I drop a couple of chopped anchovy fillets into the pan, where they quickly disintegrate. As part of the sauce, their flavor has a subtle presence but a remarkable impact: taste a bit of lamb by itself, then a morsel with sauce, and you'll see. Here is delicious evidence that the anchovy is a potent source of umami-the amino acid that makes other foods taste better. You can omit the anchovies entirely, but I hope you'll give this food synergy a try: if you're doubtful, use just one fillet of anchovy. We all need to be adventurous!

Yield serves 4

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

4 lamb shoulder chops, 1/2 inch thick or less (6 to 8 ounces each)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup or so flour, to coat the chops
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
2 tablespoons butter
4 fat garlic cloves, sliced
1 or 2 teaspoons finely chopped anchovies (1 or 2 small fillets)
1/4 teaspoon peperoncino (hot red pepper flakes), or to taste
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon-style mustard
1 cup or more Simple Vegetable Broth (page 288), Turkey Broth page 80), or water
A 14-inch skillet or sauté pan; you can cook 2 or 3 chops in a 12-inch pan

Steps:

Trim the fat from the outside edges of the chops. Salt them on both sides lightly, using 1/4 teaspoon. Spread the flour on a plate or on a piece of foil; dredge the chops in it on both sides to coat lightly, then shake off the excess flour.
Put the oil and butter in the skillet, and set over medium-high heat. As the butter foams, lay the chops in the pan. Fry them on the first side for 2 minutes, then flip them over and fry for 2 more minutes-the meat should only be light brown; if chops are darkening too fast, lower the heat.
Scatter the garlic in empty hot spots in the pan. Cook for a minute, stirring the slices until they're sizzling, then drop the anchovy bits into the hot spots and stir as they heat and melt away. Shake the skillet and sprinkle the peperoncino in the hot spots, and give them a minute of sizzling.
Turn the meat over, so the first side is down again. Fry for 2 minutes-shaking the pan now and then-and flip over once more; by now there should be some nice caramelization on the meat.
Spill the vinegar into the hot spots; shake the pan and tilt it to distribute the juices all around; sprinkle another 1/4 teaspoon salt all over. After about 2 minutes, turn the meat pieces again.
Now plop the mustard into several different hot spots; shake and stir and caramelize it for a minute.
Turn the meat one more time-it will be getting darker-and pour the broth into the skillet. It should come well up the sides of the meat, almost but not quite over the top. Get the juices boiling, then lower the heat to keep a lively bubbling simmer in the pan.
Relax! Let the meat cook, the sauce thicken, and the flavors come together for 4 or 5 minutes. Taste the sauce-sprinkle in more salt if you like. Drizzle another tablespoon of olive oil all over to give the sauce more shine, if you want.
When the sauce has become syrupy and looks the way you like it, sprinkle the parsley all over. Turn the meat once more, shake the skillet one last time, and take it off the heat.
To serve, put a chop on a warm plate and spoon over some of the sauce.
This intensely flavored dish beckons a mellow contorno, such as mashed or baked potatoes, or the Potato, Parsnip, and Scallion Mash (page 361).
Polenta (page 215) would also be quite nice, or riso al salto (page 233), would be delicious to mop up the sauce.