A tangy touch for meaty richness: Lamb Chops with Artichoke Hearts

Canned or frozen artichoke hearts and lemon juice add a tangy brightness to pan-seared lamb chops. Recipe below.

THERE ARE LOTS OF REASONS TO EAT ARTICHOKE HEARTS. Let’s start with ways they’re really good for you. Artichoke hearts are packed with nutrients, including vitamins A, C and K, loads of protein (yes, actually) and dietary fiber. Oh, and more antioxidants than any other vegetable. But for us, the best reason to eat them is they’re delicious.

The way most of us were introduced to this deliciousness was through steaming whole, fresh artichokes, peeling away the leaves one by one, dipping them in butter and scraping off the meaty flesh at the base of the leaves with our teeth, working our way to the heart. And, admittedly, feeling pretty sophisticated as we did—artichokes are exotic, as vegetables go, and eating them this way is a fun, shared eating-with-your-hands moment. But the whole process, from cooking to eating, is fairly labor intensive. Enter prepared artichoke hearts.

When frozen, canned or jarred, artichoke hearts become a weeknight-quick ingredient. Frozen artichoke hearts are closer in taste to fresh, but we like the briny, tangy flavor of canned (and we use that term interchangeably with jarred). And as an added benefit, you don’t have to remember to thaw them during the day to cook them that evening. That brine does add sodium to the mix, so if you’re watching your salt intake, maybe go with frozen.

Teamed up with lemon juice, artichoke hearts add a wonderful brightness to rich lamb chops. And rosemary and garlic work their own dependable magic on the lamb. When you eat this dish—and you absolutely should—try to get a bit of artichoke with each lamb bite.

Print Pin

Lamb Chops with Artichoke Hearts

Canned or frozen artichoke hearts and lemon juice add a tangy brightness to rich, pan-seared lamb chops.

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 2 bone-in lamb shoulder chops, about 1/2-pound each
• salt (for this, we use Diamond Crystal kosher salt—see Kitchen Notes)
• freshly ground pepper
• olive oil
• 1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained (or frozen—see Kitchen Notes)
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

Instructions

• Season lamb chops generously with salt and pepper, and let them rest on the counter for at least 20 minutes. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high flame—let it get good and hot. Add chops to pan and brown on one side, about 6 minutes. Transfer briefly to a plate.
• Reduce heat to medium. Add artichoke hearts, rosemary and garlic to the pan, drizzling in a little more oil, if needed. Gently stir to combine (being careful to not break up the artichoke heart sections) and return chops to the pan, browned side up, nestling in among the artichoke hearts. Cook for about 5 minutes, occasionally stirring the artichoke mixture to keep it from browning or burning.
• Transfer chops to a platter and tent with foil. Stir lemon juice into the artichoke hearts mixture and add butter to pan, stirring to combine as it melts, a minute or two. Spoon artichokes around chops and serve.

Kitchen Notes

Salt? What’s the diff? There are two main kinds of kosher salt. Morton’s and Diamond Crystal. Morton’s and regular table salt have the same level of sodium; Diamond Crystal has about half the sodium. It’s slightly coarser than table salt, but less coarse than Morton’s kosher salt.

Canned hearts? Frozen? Canned or jarred artichoke hearts come sliced into quarters or sixths. Frozen may come pre-sliced or they may come whole. If they’re whole, quarter them. As we said, we prefer the briny tang of the canned artichokes; they’re also less expensive. Use what you prefer or you can find.

Liz’s Crockery Corner. This plate last appeared a little over a year ago, when Marion did a post about waffles. You can find the plate write-up—and some great waffles—here.