Delicious pan seared lamb chops with mint sauce and rosemary roasted rutabaga makes a delicious special occasion meal. Low Carb, Paleo and Keto.
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Lamb chops always scream sophistication to me. I serve them for special occasion meals because they are deceptively simple to make and always impress.
Lamb Chops With Mint Sauce and Roasted Rutabaga
This recipe uses lamb loin chops which look like tiny T-bone steaks. They are melt-in-your-mouth tender and have wonderful flavor. Serving the lamb with mint sauce perks up the taste buds and helps cut the richness of the meal.
Lamb loin chops lend themselves to hot, fast cooking like grilling, broiling, and pan searing, which we will do here. I like to cook it like beef, so I serve this medium-rare to medium (145 F - 160 F). An instant read thermometer comes in handy here.
Lamb is rich tasting with a slightly gamy tang. It goes wonderfully with strong flavors like garlic, rosemary, oregano, parsley, or mint.
For summer grill season, I serve lamb with a combination of garlic and rosemary. But for holidays, like Valentine’s Day or Easter, I love serving lamb with mint sauce.
Many people serve lamb with mint jelly, but I prefer to make a quick mint sauce with fresh mint leaves. It only takes a few minutes to prepare and it’s insanely delicious. It also fits in nicely with my low carb diet, since I sweeten the sauce with a low carb sugar alternative.
I also saved a lot of carbs opting for roasted rutabaga instead of potatoes (you gotta save room for dessert, right?). Roasted rutabaga are easy to prepare: peel, cube, toss with oil, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Then, roast the rutabaga for 30 minutes before finishing it in the pan for extra caramelization and flavor!
Round out the meal with a simple mixed green salad dressed with extra virgin olive oil and vinegar.
Lamb Chops With Mint Sauce and Roasted Rutabaga
Ingredients
- 4 Lamb loin chops, fat trimmed to ⅛ inch
- 2 teaspoon Olive oil (or more if needed)
- Salt and pepper
Rutabagas
- 1 medium Rutabaga, peeled and cubed to ¾ inch (yield 10 oz/ 283 g)
- 2 teaspoon Olive oil
- 2 teaspoon Chopped fresh rosemary
- ⅛ teaspoon Salt
- ⅛ teaspoon Pepper
Mint Sauce
- ¼ cup Champagne vinegar (or rice wine vinegar)
- 2 tablespoon Allulose Monk Fruit Sweetener (Swerve, Lakanto or sugar if not keto)*
- 1 tablespoon Minced fresh mint
- 1 small Pinch of salt
- 1 pinch Red pepper flakes
Equipment:
- 1 medium bowl, 1 small sheet pan, 1 medium frying pan, 1 small pot, 1 cutting board (one side for lamb and other side for veggies)
Instructions
- NOTE: Allulose does not crystallize in the sauce upon cooling like erythritol based sweeteners, therefore it's the best option. Use what you have, but serve the sauce warm if you are using an erythritol based sweetener or use a few drops of stevia glycerite to sweeten.
Preparation:
- Trim the lamb and let sit for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400 F and place rack to middle position. Peel and cube the rutabaga. Chop the rosemary and mince the mint. Measure the vinegar and sweetener into the small pot.
Rutabaga:
- Toss rutabaga in the bowl with oil to coat. Add the rosemary, salt and pepper and toss again. Spread evenly on the sheet pan and cook for 30 minutes, stirring after 15 minutes.
Lamb:
- Place a medium frying pan over medium heat. Rub all surfaces of the lamb with 1 teaspoon of oil (use a tiny bit more if needed) and season with salt and pepper. Remember that protein loves salt.
- When the pan is hot (a bead of water will skip across the surface), add the remaining oil and tilt the pan to coat. Add the lamb chops to the pan and cook approximately 4-5 minutes per side or until internal temperature reaches 145 F for medium rare or 160 F for medium, on an instant read thermometer.
- Remove the lamb from the pan and tent with foil to keep warm. Keep the pan on the stove for the rutabaga.
Mint Sauce:
- Place the pot with the vinegar and sweetener over medium-high heat until it begins to simmer. Turn down the heat and continue simmering until it almost reduces by half - about 3-5 minutes. Turn off the heat, add the mint, pinch of salt and red pepper flakes. Stir. Cover to keep warm.
Rutabaga:
- When the rutabaga is done, brown it in the frying pan over medium-high heat. Taste to adjust seasoning.
To Serve:
- Split the rutabaga and lamb between two serving plates and spoon the sauce over the lamb. If you are extra hungry, serve with a mixed green salad dressed with a simple vinaigrette.
- Serves Two people at 7 net carbs each, assuming all food is eaten. (NOTE: I can only eat one chop.)
Notes
Nutrition
Samantha
I made this recipe for my husband for Father's Day and itwas better than expected. I was a little worried after reading the last comment that mentioned the erythritol hardening. Luckily, I didn't have that problem. It tasted realllly good and my husband was impressed. I can't wait to try more of your recipes. Thanks.
Leah Weinberger
While this was a lovely sweet mint treat...once it cooled, it became hard. Like a sugar crust. I think it works best if you keep the sauce warm. Placing it on hot lamb, doesn't work because it gets "crusty chunks of sugar"
However the flavor (before the sugar crusting) is superb. TOTALLY replaces Mint Jelly.
Thanks!
Leah
Kim
I'm glad you liked the recipe despite the crusting, Leah. I did not have that happen.... Did you keep the sauce covered and warm before saucing the lamb? What sweetener did you use? You could try something lie stevia glycerite next time. I just love it. I, too, dislike the crystallization that can sometimes happen with erythritol and adding a little stevia glycerite allows me to use less erythritol based sweetener.
Thank you for taking the time to come back and leave your honest feedback. Have a nice week.
-Kim
Cameron Poe
The rutabagas pair well with the lamb, delicious!
Les Wright
Hi,
I think your cooking temp on the medium-rare chops is too high, should be 125-130°F???
Love your recipes!
Kim
Hi Les. I Googled this and several sites stated the temps I included in the post. Here is one such site: https://buythermopro.com/knowledge/meat-cooking-temperatures-lamb/ I appreciate you taking the time to let people know that there may be some interpretation with these temperatures! Thank you. -Kim