Serves 4
Notes
Scottadito literally translates as “finger burning,” which indicates that the chops should be picked up with your fingers and eaten; this is not done much in restaurants, but it’s perfect at home, with family and friends. Just remember to set out a moist napkin for each of your guests. Seared lamb chops are a favorite at Felidia, especially in the early spring, around Easter. For this dish, rib chops cut from a rack of lamb are best, because of the length of the bone. Look for ones with a bright red color a few shades lighter than beef, and a big “eye” of meat- about 2 1/2 inches wide. At Felidia the chops are Frenched, which means scraping all the meat off the rib bone. At home you can certainly leave the meat on the bones of the chops- just make sure it is cooked crisp.
Ingredients
- For the Lamb Chops
- 8 Frenched rib lamb chops (about 2 1/4 pounds)
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the Mint Salsa Verde
- 1 1/2 cups fresh Italian parsley leaves
- 1 1/2 cups fresh mint leaves
- 2 tablespoons drained capers in brine
- 1 clove garlic, crushed and peeled
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- For the Potato Wedges
- 4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (about 1 1/4 pounds), cut into 1-inch wedges
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a sheet pan placed on the middle rack.
For the lamb chops, rub them with the rosemary, oil, salt, and pepper, and let them stand at room temperature while you prepare the salsa verde and potatoes.
For the salsa verde, combine the parsley, mint, capers, garlic, mustard, and anchovies in a food processor. Pulse to make a chunky paste, then scrape down the sides of the work bowl. With the processor running, add 1/4 cup olive oil to make a smooth sauce. The sauce shouldn’t be too thick; if it is, add the remaining olive oil and process again. Transfer to a bowl, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.
For the potatoes, toss in a large bowl with the olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and a generous amount of black pepper. Spread on the preheated baking sheet, and roast until tender and golden, flipping once, about 18 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over high heat. Scrape the rosemary from the chops, and put as many chops as will fit in the skillet. Sear on both sides until medium rare, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining chops.
Spoon the salsa verde onto serving plates. Place the chops and potatoes gingerly on top of the salsa verde.
