I love lamb chops, and I can’t resist when I find a pair of loin chops at least 1 inch thick sitting side by side in a shrink-wrapped package at the meat counter. Expensive? Yes, and I don’t really need two of them. But I give in and set aside the uneaten portion of the second one to tuck into a small casserole of French lentils. It makes an appealing second dinner.

　　

Ingredients

2 or 3 smallish new potatoes

　　Olive oil

　　Kosher salt

　　1 or 2 thick loin lamb chops

　　Freshly ground pepper

　　1 garlic clove

　　1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

　　

Step 1

Boil the potatoes in lightly salted water for 5 minutes. Drain (don’t peel), cut in half, and rub a little olive oil and salt over them. Rub salt, olive oil, and pepper over the chops, too, and arrange both the chops and the potatoes on a broiler pan. Slip them about 4 inches under a preheated broiler, and cook for 4 minutes, then turn and broil another 3 minutes. Meanwhile, make a paste of garlic and salt (see page 48) and spread it over the lamb chops after you take them out of the oven. Let rest for a minute or two while you chop some parsley. Sprinkle that over both the chops and the potatoes, and dig in. You’re alone, so you can pick up the chop and nibble the meat close to the bone—it’s always the best. Set aside any uneaten portions of lamb for Lamb and Lentils (recipe follows).

　　

Variation

Step 2

Cook the chops on a grill. Timing depends on how hot your fire is, so check carefully. When the flesh springs back, it is done. Or use the instant-read thermometer. Lamb shouldn’t be more than 125–130° for rare.

　　The Pleasures of Cooking for One by Judith Jones. Copyright © 2009 by Judith Jones. Published by Knopf. All Rights Reserved.Judith Jones is senior editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf. She is the author of The Tenth Muse: My Life in Food and the coauthor with Evan Jones (her late husband) of three books: The Book of Bread; Knead It, Punch It, Bake It!; and The Book of New New England Cookery. She also collaborated with Angus Cameron on The L. L. Bean Game and Fish Cookbook, and has contributed to Vogue, Saveur, and Gourmet magazines. In 2006, she was awarded the James Beard Foundation Lifetime Achievement Award. She lives in New York City and Vermont.