grilled lamb with asparagus and green beans

Ingredients:

• 4 lamb loin chops (about 1  to 1  1/2 lbs [455 g to 680 g] total weight)

  1. 3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil plus a little extra to brush the pan

  2. 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

  3. 2 tsp ground black pepper

  4. 1 tsp fine sea salt (if you have a smoked infused salt on hand, use that for a kick of smoky aroma)

  For the asparagus and grilled beans

  • 1 lb [455 g] asparagus spears, bottom tough end trimmed and discarded

  • 1 lb [455 g] green beans, ends trimmed and discarded

  • 3 tbsp raw pumpkin seeds

  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced

  • 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

  • fine sea salt

  • 2 tbsp lemon or lime juice

  • 2 tbsp wet mustard

  • 2 tsp honey

  • 1 tsp fish sauce

  • extra lemon wedges to serve

DIRECTIONS:

First prepare the marinade for lamb chops. Pat the lamb chops dry and place them in a resealable food-safe bag. In a small bowl, mix the olive oil, garlic cloves, black pepper, and salt. Pour this over the lamb chops in the bag. Seal the bag and shake to coat well. Let this sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours. When ready to cook, leave the bag out on the kitchen counter to warm up to room temperature for about 30 minutes. Heat a grill pan or cast-iron skillet over medium high heat and brush the pan with a little oil. Cook the lamb chops till they are well browned on each side and their internal temperature reaches 135F [57C]. Remove the chops from the pan and place them in a serving dish and cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes.

About 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook, prepare the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 450F [232C]. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil or use a large baking dish. Cut the asparagus into roughly 1 inch [2.5 cm] pieces and place them in a large bowl with the green beans, pumpkin seeds, and garlic. Drizzle the olive oil all over the vegetables, season with salt, and toss to coat well. Spread the vegetables out in the prepared baking sheet and roast the vegetables in the preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes. The asparagus stems and beans should be tender, pull one out after 8 minutes of cooking to test and determine how tender they taste. The vegetables should be slightly browned. If you want to give them a deeper char, move the baking sheet to the upper 1/3rd portion of the oven and turn the broil function on and set to high, cook for 2 to 3 minutes till the vegetables char. Once cooked, remove the baking sheet from the oven. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, mustard, honey, and fish sauce. Taste and adjust taste with salt if needed. Pour the liquid over the roasted vegetables and toss to coat well.

Serve warm alongside the grilled lamb loin chops with extra wedges of lemons.