This sheet pan meal is an easy to way to enjoy lamb - without worrying about overcooking it. Loaded with veggies these baked lamb chops are packed with flavor and easy to make - and on the table in an hour.
Season the lamb chops with salt and pepper on both sides. Place a frying pan over medium-high heat and pour in the vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add in the lamb chops and fry for about 1 minute on each side. Then lower the heat to medium-low, cover the pan and let cook for about 5 minutes - turning once halfway.
1⅓ lb lamb chops, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon neutral vegetable oil
While the lamb is cooking, bring out a large, deep oven tray. Place half of the butter, in pieces, in the bottom of the pan. Make a slice in each of the pimientos de padron, from top to bottom, and place them in the pan. Then add the rest of the vegetables, followed by the chili powder, chili flakes and salt. Mix well.
½ cup butter, 6 pimientos de padron, 1 eggplant, 1 red bell pepper, 10 mushrooms, 1 yellow onion, 5 garlic cloves, 6 tomatoes, 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon chili flakes*
Place the lamb chops on top of the mixed and seasoned vegetables and pour over the oil you cooked them in. Then hide the lamb chops under the vegetables, and place the remaining butter, in pieces, on top.
Place in the middle of the oven and bake for 1 hour, mixing once halfway.
After 1 hour, bring out the lamb and vegetables and serve as it is or with a side of rice or bread.
Video
Notes
Ingredient notes & substitutions
Lamb chops - I used butterfly chops for this recipe, but you can use regular lamb chops or another type of bone-in lamb as well - or pork chops
Vegetables - mix and match as you like, you don't need to use exactly these veggies but tomatoes are great to get a lot of juicy sauce, mushrooms provide amazing flavor and onion, garlic and some type of pepper is great for taste
Vegetable oil - I like a neutral kind like rapeseed oil, but olive oil works as well
Chili powder and chili flakes - adjust amount according to taste and the spiciness of your specific type of chili. Mine are pretty mild.
Tips & tricks
Chop the veggies in whatever size you like - but keep the garlic and onion small to allow for the flavor to spread throughout the dish
If you're in a hurry you can skip cooking the lamb under lid before adding to the veggies, but it does make them juicier
Hide the lamb under the veggies to keep it from drying out, and to allow all that flavor and juice to season the meat and keep it moist
Shorten the cooking time if you want (15 minutes should be enough to cook the lamb and veggies) - but the long cooking time provides a lot of taste
If the veggies start to get burned or look dry while baking, place a piece of oven foil on top.
Let it rest for at least 15 minutes if you can, after cooking, to allow the flavors to deepen
Prep it ahead of time - all the way up until you put it in the oven. Then place it covered in the fridge for up to 24 hours and bake in the oven before serving. 40 minutes is already a lot, so you don't need to add any time.
Make it ahead of time - it's delicious when heated as well, just pop the pan back in an oven preheated to 150 degrees C / 300 degrees F and give it 10 minutes to heat up throughout
Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3 days
Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months, and let thaw slowly in the fridge before heating back up
Nutritional information assumes rapeseed oil is used for vegetable oil and that half of the oil and butter is consumed.