lamb chops with romesco sauce

By sanmo_babe

Ingredients

• romesco sauce:
• 8 loin lamb chops, about 3/4 inch thick
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 cups baby arugula
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 11/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 cups Romesco Sauce, at room temperature
• Makes 5 to 6 cups
• 1 large head garlic
• 2 cups plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 21/2 cups whole blanched almonds (15 to 16 ounces)
• Two 12-ounce jars or cans roasted red peppers, drained (about 4 cups)
• 3 cloves garlic
• 3/4 cup sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika (pimentón de la vera dulce)
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

1. Lightly spray the grates of your gas or charcoal grill with flavorless vegetable oil spray. Preheat the gas grill or prepare the charcoal grill so that the heating element or charcoal is hot. Alternatively, preheat the broiler.

2. Season the lamb chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Grill for 4 to 5 minutes, turn, and grill for an additional 3 minutes for medium-rare.

3. Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl, toss the arugula with the lemon juice and extra-virgin olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Spoon about ¾ cup of romesco sauce on the side of each of 4 serving plates. Put about 1 cup of arugula on the opposite side of the plate. Top the sauce with 2 lamb chops and serve immediately.

romesco sauce (5-6 cups):
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

2. Slice the top from the head of garlic to expose the cloves. Discard the tops. Put the garlic head, exposed side up, on a sheet of aluminum foil. Drizzle the garlic with 1 teaspoon of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the foil to form a loose package. Roast for about 45 minutes, or until the garlic is browned and tender.

3. In a small saucepan, mix the remaining 2 cups of olive oil with the almonds, bring to a simmer over medium-low heat, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the nuts are light brown. Adjust the heat to maintain the simmer. Strain the nuts from the oil to stop the cooking and let the nuts cool. Discard the oil.

4. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, roughly chop the red peppers, uncooked garlic cloves, and cooled almonds.

5. Separate the head of roasted garlic into cloves. Discard the excess skins, but leave the garlic pulp encased in the skin. Squeeze the pulp from each clove into the food processor and pulse just until mixed with the chopped nuts and peppers.

6. Add the vinegar, paprika, cayenne, and salt to the food processor and puree for about 1 minute, until well mixed but not smooth. The sauce should be chunky. Taste and season with salt and pepper.