| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 37 min |
| Prep: | 12 min |
| Inactive: | 5 min |
| Cook: | 20 min |
| Yield: | 4 to 6 servings |
Ingredients
- 1 cup quinoa
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh thyme
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 eggs
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 (1-inch thick) lamb chops (about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds), fat removed
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 cup creme fraiche
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- For the coating: In a medium bowl, mix together the quinoa, thyme, lemon zest, salt, and pepper. Beat the eggs in another medium bowl.
- For the lamb: Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Dip the lamb chops in the egg and then coat with the quinoa mixture, pressing lightly to help the coating stick. Add half the lamb chops to the pan and cook until light golden, about 5 minutes on each side for medium-rare. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the pan and cook the remaining chops. Allow the chops to rest for 5 minutes.
- For the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together the creme fraiche, maple syrup, and thyme until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- To serve, arrange the lamb chops on a platter and serve the sauce alongside.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 845 |
| Total Fat | 68 g |
| Saturated Fat | 26 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 34 g |
| Cholesterol | 194 mg |
| Sodium | 748 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 6 servings |
| Calories | 845 |
| Total Fat | 68 g |
| Saturated Fat | 26 g |
| Carbohydrates | 25 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 34 g |
| Cholesterol | 194 mg |
| Sodium | 748 mg |
Reviews
We love lamb & quinoa and with just a little less kosher salt enjoyed this combination very much. I took the hint from other reviewers about the sauce – made up a sauce of fresh mint (I LIKE mint jelly with lamb greek yogurt & lemon juice. Will do again.
This is the second Easter I made this recipe, and it was a success again! I love the crunch of the quinoa, but the salt is too much, I agree with others. I only used 1 tbs. and did not salt the lamb at all. The sauce was really nice, but to me it does not go with the lamb. My kids ate it with their baked potatoes.
We found this recipe to be very interesting — a different and tasty way to prepare lamb, which we both enjoy. The sauce was rather sweet, but if you think about it, the traditional way to serve lamb is with mint jelly (ugh!) which is sweet as well. I prepared this exactly as written (except that I did wash the quinoa thoroughly) and did not find it overly salty. The crunch of the quinoa and the flavor of the herbs was really good. I do agree that the coating is better than the sauce.
I made the recipe exactly as she did and we very much liked the lamb, but we did not use the sauce. We thought the sauce was grossly sweet and completely unnecessary since the coated lamb was so moist and flavorful on its own. I think people who had trouble with the salt have to remember that there is a BIG difference between kosher salt and regular salt. (Same issue trips people up all the time with Ina Garten’s recipes and they blame her for using too much salt. When in reality, they are to blame for using the wrong kind and/or not adjusting the amount accordingly if they use regular salt. I don’t normally “do” lamb, but this was very impressive for Easter dinner.
surely giada meant 2 tsp kosher salt, not 2 TBS.
the coating was inedible.
the coating was inedible.
I made this for Easter dinner and it turned out great! I didn’t wash the Quinoa or do anything different than the recipe called for. If I could change one thing I’d add less salt to the Quinoa mixture. The sauce was good but I think it’d be even better to mix Greek Yogurt and dill for a creamy sauce!
I made this recipe without the sauce because I didn’t have the ingredients. I washed and dried the quinoa before I coated the lamb chops in it and they tasted great. The flavor of the quinoa complemented the lamb really well.
This is the worst recipe for lamb chops. The sauce was not good at all. I had to throw it away. The quinoa and lamb is a good idea but the recipe called for so much salt that we couldn’t eat the lamb chops. I would not recommend this recipe.
I love lamb so I was excited to try this recipe. I really like the texture of the quinoa. I added garlic and rosemary for more flavor. This is a great recipe.
For the record I would never make this because I just don’t eat lamb. However, when you’re using quinoa it has to be very thoroughly rinsed to remove the soapy tasting residue. If you don’t your food will taste like dish soap. I rinse mine about 15 minutes no matter the amount I’m cooking. I wish Giada had mentioned that to make people aware of that.