Be not afraid of lamb

Ever since I had a baby old enough to crawl, the idea of Rachael Ray's "30 minutes" seemed laughable.  Not just targeting Rachael Ray here, but it seems all thirty minute recipes are designed for thirty minutes of hands on time. When you've got little kids, that is just way too long. This is where grilling can become very helpful. However, I live in Manhattan. We don't have outdoor space to put a grill. And the genius who designed my kitchen neglected to add a ventilation system.  Every time I broil something the smoke alarm goes off, and it is very difficult to convince the alarm that it's services are unnecessary. However, I persist in using it, as there are days when you have to get the dinner on the table in just a few minutes. (And a damp towel hung over the smoke detector can be a good foil). Now, instead of using your grill for burgers and dogs, or your broiler for steak, why don't you try lamb? I must admit that lamb is shockingly expensive. But actually, because the loin chops have such a small amount of meat, it's great for little kids because the portion size of one chop is really nearly perfect. So if you are at Costco one day, or see it on sale, do try this. My 2 and 4 year old actually love it, which is almost as shocking as the sticker price on the meat package.
Here's my very favorite marinade for Lamb Chops.  It is fast and so delicious.  The lemon really added a lot of flavor and zip. The best thing is you only need to marinate this for a short period- or you can let it soak all day.

You need:
3 lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoon dried thyme or rosemary. They are both delicious, but have a different flavor
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced (depending on how much you love garlic)
8 lamb loin chops. Try to buy them a similar thickness. It is much easier to cook them that way. You'll probably need at least 2 chops per adult, one per small child.
salt and pepper

Don't use a metal dish to marinate. Use ceramic or glass. Squeeze the lemons into the dish, adding the olive oil, garlic and spice. Season the chops with salt and pepper. Put them in the marinade, turn them over and spoon the sauce over to coat. Pop back the refrigerator to marinate, or if you are short on time, you can let them soak at room temperature for an hour.

Preheat your grill or broiler. If the chips are about an inch thick, and cook for about 5 minutes a side for medium rare, or 6 minutes per side for medium. Yay!

Enjoy! Christina

PS. I also tried this the other day on turkey tenderloin. It was great.