This recipe for Dukkah-Crusted Lamb Chops with Cauliflower and Potato Purée is so quick and easy to make that you could easily serve this elegant dish on a weeknight!
This recipe for lamb chops has a delicious Middle-Eastern twist to it. The lamb chops are crusted with Dukkah and then served on a bed of cauliflower and potato purée.
Jump to:
What is Dukkah
This is such a simple dish made with ingredients that really shine. If you're not familiar with dukkah, it is an Egyptian blend of spices, herbs, nuts and seeds that is traditionally served with bread and olive oil.
I used a batch of pre-made pistachio dukkah, but you can easily make your own. Here's a recipe for homemade dukkah from the Kitchn.
I think you'll find dukkah to be rather versatile. It's crunchy and aromatic properties are a perfect complement to the tender and moist lamb meat.
I also find it delicious on this Pistachio Crusted Salmon. Just add a couple of tablespoons of dukkah to the pistachios before crusting the salmon.
Cauliflower and Potato Purée
I like to serve these lamb chops with a simple and delicious cauliflower and potato purée. The purée is just as easy to make as the dukkah-crusted lamb chops.
All you need to do is steam the cauliflower along with the potatoes and a clove of garlic. Then when the veggies are soft you can purée them in the food processor with a little bit of chicken stock or water to thin them out.
How to Make Crusted Lamb Chops
The recipe for these dukkah-crusted lamb chops is adapted from Epicurious. The lamb chops are marinated briefly with a marinade of olive oil, garlic, salt and smoked pepper. If you don't have any smoked pepper you can use regular pepper.
To marinate the lamb chops simply combine the marinade ingredients and rub both sides of the lamb chops with the marinade. Set the chops aside at room temperature while you prepare the cauliflower and potato purée.
These lamb chops are pan-seared and are done in no time at all. So if you are serving the lamb chops with the cauliflower and potato purée you'll want to have the purée ready before pan-searing the lamb chops.
Serving Suggestions
My favourite way to serve these lamb chops is over the potato and cauliflower purée but if you're looking to turn these chops into more of a summertime dish you could serve them with a Fattoush or Tabbouleh salad.
Enjoy!
More Recipes to Try
- Easy Spanakopita
- Baked Rainbow Trout Fillet
- Kafta Kebabs
- Thai Baked Salmon with Cilantro-Chili Sauce
Dukkah-Crusted Lamb Chops with Cauliflower and Potato Purée Recipe
Ingredients
For the Lamb:
- 8 small lamb rib chops trimmed of most of the fat
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 garlic clove crushed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper I used smoked pepper
- 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
- ⅓ cup pistachio dukkah for coating both sides of chops after they are cooked. Add more if necessary.
- 1-2 tbsp. honey to drizzle on finished lamb chops
For the Cauliflower and Potato Purée:
- 1 head cauliflower approx. 2 lbs.
- 2 medium potatoes
- 1 clove garlic small
- 3 tbsp. unsalted butter more to taste
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ¼ cup chicken stock or water to thin purée
Instructions
To marinate the lamb:
- Trim lamb rack from excess fat. Cut rack into single chops.
- Combine olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper in small bowl. Rub each chop with marinade and set aside at room temperature while you prepare the cauliflower and potato purée.
Cauliflower and Potato Purée:
- Break the florets off the head of the cauliflower and rinse.
- Peel, rinse and dice the potatoes, making sure that the dice is on the smaller side so that the potatoes are done at the same time as the cauliflower.
- Bring water to a boil in a large steamer pot, add the steamer insert and make sure the water doesn't touch the insert.
- Add the cauliflower, diced potatoes and garlic clove.
- Cover and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until you can easily pierce the potatoes and cauliflower with the tip of a sharp knife.
- If using a food processor, transfer half of the vegetables and process, at this point you will know if you have to add some chicken stock (or water) to thin out the purée. Add only a little at a time to avoid a runny purée.
- Add the remaining cauliflower and potatoes with the butter, salt and pepper. Process again until vegetables are smooth, if needed add more stock.
- Keep purée warm until lamb chops are ready.
For the lamb chops:
- In a large pan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat.
- Add half of the lamb chops to pan. Cook for 1 ½ to 2 minutes per side, depending on thickness of chop and desired doneness. For thicker chops, it's approximately 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.
- Transfer the lamb chops to a dish, cover with foil to keep them warm. Repeat with the remaining chops, making sure to lower the heat if pan is getting too hot.
- To coat chops, pour dukkah spice mixture into a shallow bowl. Dip both sides of the lamb chops the into the dukkah and transfer to platter.
- Drizzle honey over the chops and serve with cauliflower and potato purée.
Notes
- When dicing the potatoes make sure it's a small dice, so that the potatoes are done at the same time as the cauliflower.
Nutrition
Myrna says
This meal looks delicious!
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thank you Myrna 🙂
Kathleen | HapaNomNom says
Ooo.... one of the very best lamb dishes I ever had was at a really nice restaurant outside of D.C., and it was pistachio-crusted lamb. Omg, it was SO incredible, I thought about it for days! And I love the bed of cauliflower and potato puree. Amazing!
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thanks Kathleen, I'm really happy with the way this dish turned out, it seems like dukkah and lamb are made for each other!
nancyc says
The dukkah crust topping looks so tasty–all the ingredients in this dish sound so good!
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
It's really delicious, I have plans on using dukkah on all sorts of goodies now!
Nancy says
Looks Fabulous!! Already pinned and on my list of "must try" recipes. Yummy!
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Oh that's great Nancy, thank you!
C. M. says
This looks delicious, never tried dukkah before, but I plan on giving it a try now.
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thank you, I think you'll really enjoy it!
Sabrina says
I absolutely love this meal! The dukkah and lamb are a great combo!
Sweet and Savoury Pursuits says
Thanks Sabrina, I really loved the combination, they go so well together.