Lamb Chops with Rosemary and Cracked Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS

• Place pepper on plate and press each chop firmly into pepper and press in with your hands.
• In a heavy frying pan (I use my cast-iron frying pan) over medium-high heat, add olive oil and heat.
• Add peppered lamb chops and sear on both sides.
• Sprinkle lamb chops with salt.
• Reduce heat to medium (do not degrease the pan).
• Add beef stock and lemon juice; continue to cook until the chops reach the desired doneness, approximately 2 to 3 minutes for medium rare and an internal thermometer registers 125°F.
• (use a meat thermometer to test for doneness).
• Remove lamb chops to an oven-safe platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and keep warm in a 200°F oven until ready to serve (needs to let rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving).
• NOTE: During this time the meat continues to cook (meat temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees after it is removed from the heat source) and the juices redistribute.
• Continue to cook the sauce, scraping any pieces of meat off the bottom of the pan and stirring them into the sauce.
• Let the liquid boil until liquid is reduced to a shiny glaze.
• Remove from heat.
• Whisk in butter and fresh rosemary.
• Remove lamb chops from the oven.
• Add any lamb juices to the sauce.
• Spoon sauce over chops and serve.