St. Patrick's Day Lamb with a Twist

My mother Kathleen Gilston Fretz was second generation Irish and loved St. Patrick's Day. With this being said, I do not recall her making a traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner, such as corned beef and cabbage or lamb with roasted potatoes. However, I do have loving and happy memories of the dinners we had on St. Patrick's Day. For my mother, it was all about the color; as nontraditional as the meals were, she managed to make them magical. A typical St. Patrick's Day meal for us as children was spinach pasta, salad, green milk, and lime jello or cupcakes with green icing. Because my mom loved lamb chops and artichokes,  I dedicate this recipe to her.

                                                             Lamb Loin Chops
                                                 with Artichokes and Rosemary
                                                                 adapted from
                                                 The Flavors of Bon Appétit 2005

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 garlic cloves, minced, divided
3 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary, divided
2 teaspoons grated orange peel, divided
2 8-ounce packages frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth
8 1-inch-thick loin lamb chops

Direction

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 minced garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon orange peel; stir 30 seconds. Add artichoke hearts and broth; bring to boil. Cover; boil 5 minutes. Uncover; cook until sauce thickens, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat.

Sprinkle lamb with remaining garlic and rosemary, then salt and pepper. Heat remaining oil in another large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lamb; sauté until cooked to desired doneness,  about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to platter.

Spoon off fat from skillet with lamb. Add artichoke mixture; boil 2 minutes, scraping up browned bits. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon artichoke mixture around lamb. Sprinkle with remaining orange peel and serve.

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