No. 9: Lamb Chops with Greens & Caesar Deviled Eggs

Caesar deviled eggs? Hardly know her!

Happy Easter weekend to those who celebrate! We included two recipes this week with the hopes of sending them out in time for Easter cooking, but realized that was a little ambitious, so we hope you can tuck these away in your back pocket. Maybe make them next weekend, when you’re not getting together with family and you can eat it all yourself and not have to share it with Uncle Fred who hovers over the deviled eggs plate and you don’t get any (jk, more power to you, Fred).

We love deviled eggs, and they’re actually one of the first foods we ever made together when we were dating (weird choice, maybe). I know they’re not for everyone, and just wait til you see that we also added anchovies to this recipe…so really not for everyone, but trust us! Trust the process! You could be surprised! We combined our love for deviled eggs with our love for Caesar salad and developed our new favorite brunch appetizer. 

The lamb recipe is originally inspired by Mast o Moosir, which is a Persian yogurt shallot dip that is delicious and goes with everything. We also took inspiration from Molly Baz’s yogurt-crusted lamb chops, but we served ours over a bed of lettuce and added more of a garlic-y, shallot-y twist. I love that this recipe pairs a bright, fresh salad with a meat that can sometimes feel really rich on its own.

Ron is all of us at any social function

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Caesar Deviled Eggs

Ingredients:

6 eggs

1 - 2 anchovies, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic, pressed or very finely chopped

3 ½ tbsp mayonnaise

2 tsp dijon mustard

2 tsp worcestershire

2 tbsp finely grated parmesan

1 ½ tsp lemon juice

Black pepper

Paprika (optional)

Fresh dill (optional)

Breadcrumbs (optional)

Directions:

1. Place 6 eggs in a medium saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat to as low as it goes, cover, and let barely simmer for 10 - 11 minutes. Fill a medium bowl with ice water, and then drain the eggs and let sit in the ice water for at least 15 minutes.

2. Peel the eggs and slice in half lengthwise. Carefully remove the yolks, add them to a medium bowl, and mash with a spoon or fork.

3. Directly into the bowl with the yolks, add the rest of the filling ingredients: 1 - 2 chopped anchovies, 1 pressed or chopped garlic clove, 3 ½ tbsp mayonnaise, 2 tsp dijon mustard, 2 tsp worcestershire, 2 tbsp finely grated parmesan, 1 ½ tsp lemon juice, and black pepper to taste. Mix well to combine.

4. Put the filling into a ziploc bag, snip off one of the corners, and pipe the filling into the egg white halves. Sprinkle with paprika, fresh dill, breadcrumbs, or whatever toppings you like, and serve. 

   

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Yogurt Marinated Lamb Chop Salad

Ingredients:

5  - 6 double lamb chops

1 cup whole milk plain yogurt

½ shallot, grated

1 clove of garlic, pressed or finely chopped

Juice of ½ a lemon

⅛ tsp cayenne

1 tsp dried oregano

Extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ tsp kosher salt

Black pepper

1 cup fennel bulb, thinly sliced (reserve some of the spriggy stems for garnish)

8 - 10 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped or chiffonaded (I don’t think that’s the past tense of chiffonade)

½ lemon, thinly sliced, seeds removed

3 oz little gem lettuce

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl, combine 1 cup whole milk plain yogurt, ½ a shallot, 1 clove of garlic, juice of ½ a lemon, ⅛ tsp cayenne, 1 tsp dried oregano, 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 ½ tsp kosher salt, and black pepper to taste. Mix well to combine. Taste and adjust to your preferences, noting that the shallot and garlic will mellow out a little bit as it sits in the fridge.

2. Sprinkle the lamp chops with salt and pepper on each side. Place them in a large ziploc bag and cover with about half of the marinade mixture. Massage well to thoroughly combine. Place in the fridge for at least a few hours, but ideally overnight or up to 2 days.

3. At least 30 minutes but no more than 2 hours before you’re ready to cook, remove the lamb chops from the fridge. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Prepare your salad toppings: thinly slice 1 cup fennel bulb, 8 - 10 mint leaves, and ½ a lemon. Sprinkle the fennel with a little salt to draw out some of its moisture. Set aside.

5. Place a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil. Once the oil is hot, carefully place the lamb chops in the skillet. Let sear until deeply charred, about 3 minutes per side. Insert a meat thermometer and put into the preheated oven until they reach an internal temperature of 140 degrees F (they will continue cooking as they rest).

6. As the lamb chops rest, prepare the salad. Spread about half of the remaining dressing onto a serving platter or large plate. Add the little gem lettuce leaves directly on top of it, spoon a little more dressing over that, and then place the cooked lamb chops on top. Garnish with the fennel bulb & reserved stems, mint, and lemon. Serve.