doctor's orders

I'm still surprised I need more red meat in my life. Decided to shake things up with some lamb chops. The recipe is inspired by Martha Stewart's Oregano & Orange Rack of Lamb:

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Start with some chopped up potatoes with the usual suspects: salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil. Leave some space in the center. And make sure that the potato chunks are small!

when do I not cook potatoes?

I used lamb chops because frankly, lamb shanks are expensive. And a lot of the price is in the bones and the way that frenched shanks look. So I'm going the economical route and using lamb chops. (If you truly wanted to be thrifty, you wouldn't use lamb.)

ready for action

Season the chops with salt and pepper and brown them in a little olive oil, about five minutes each side.

sizzle

Done!

we're going for color, not actual doneness

Transfer the chops to the pan. Feel free to push the potatoes back towards the center once the chops are in.

the easy part!

Bake for 25 minutes.

Meanwhile, make a little dressing to go with the chops.

A little garlic and onion (about one-third of a yellow onion,) a lime,
half a cup of orange juice, red pepper flakes, oregano,
and red wine and white vinegar.

There are more alterations in the sauce. First off, it's raining tonight so I don't feel like going to the greengrocer just to pick up some fresh oregano and parsley. Therefore, the parsley is nixed and the oregano used is the dried kind that gathers dust in your spice rack. Similarly, I don't have any shallots and don't want to go outside to get one, so I'm just mincing up one-third of an onion as best I can.

Wonder why the red wine and white vinegar go together? It's my very own ghettofabulous red wine vinegar. Because of all the vinegars to be missing from my pantry, it's red wine vinegar. One-quarter of a cup of red wine vinegar, real or moonshine, is needed.

The lime is another addition but for once, not to replace something else. I just think that most foods can benefit from a squeeze of lime.

Crush the red pepper flakes (kneading a knife back and forth as if you were slivering nuts is a good method.) Add all ingredients together and stir.

Mix it all up!

Once the chops are done cooking...

lovely aroma... wish this photo was scratch 'n' sniff!

Pour the red wine/orange juice over the chops and enjoy!

Lamb makes this homey meal look fancy.

With all of my alterations I'm sure my lamb tastes nothing like Martha's. But I like the combination of lamb and citrus... the humble smell of lamb mingles with fresh citrus flavors and is actually pretty darn tasty. Yet another win for Martha Stewart!