I stumbled upon some beautiful lamb chops at Food Lion one day, and the price was incredible. I wasn’t sure how to cook them because I hadn’t cooked lamb chops before, only a crown roast. This chop is the lamb loin chop – the T-bone type – rather than a chop from a lamb rack. The home delivery service Home Chef has had some beautiful chops on their menus that were twice this thick, so cooking time will vary on thickness.

This is the cooking method I’ve been using for years when I cook steak, salmon, and lamb chops in just about the same way. They come out perfectly done with a nice crust, and the temperature is just right inside. My dad often rates my dinners by stating a price he’d be willing to pay at a restaurant or slaps the spoon on the table as the judges do when they like a contestant’s offering on MasterChef Australia.

Get the oven ready and heat to 450 degrees. You’ll be cooking on the stove-top briefly and then transferring to a hot oven, so make sure your skillet can take the heat. I prefer using a cast iron skillet for lamb chops, but they come out just great with a stainless steel pan, too. Don’t use a non-stick. Just don’t. Heat some olive oil in the pan and place the chops so that the T-bone end is searing first. The chops will be standing up in pan saluting you. Sear for about a minute, then sear the outer two edges for about 30 seconds before searing the top and bottom of the chop. Please make note that the cast iron skillet tends to cook the chops faster than the stainless.

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When all sides are seared, add a tablespoon of real butter. Before popping them in the oven, I add garlic, parsley, and capers to the pan. Cooking time for chops is about 4 to 6 minutes for medium (pink inside). That’s my favorite temperature for lamb chops. When the chops come out, I add some fresh chopped parsley and then squeeze some Meyer lemon from my own tree (I grow these indoors so I have lemons year-round) over the top and serve with the pan drippings.

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Alternately, when I have made fresh pesto, I will add a tablespoon of pest on top of each chop about 2 minutes before they are done just to warm up the pesto.