The idea with this paprika lamb chops recipe is that marinating your meat not only improves the flavor but also helps tenderize the meat. Thus cheaper less choice cuts of meat can with a little marinating be as tender and flavorsome as the more expensive choice cuts of meat.

Ingredients

• 12 Lamb Chops
• 1 Lemon
• 1 Medium Small Brown Onion
• 2 Tablespoons of Olive Oil
• 1 Tablespoon of Finely Grated Lemon Zest
• 1 Tablespoon of Freshly Squeezed Lemon Juice
• 1 Tablespoon of Paprika
• ½ Teaspoon of Chili Powder
• ½ Teaspoon of Crushed Garlic
• Freshly Ground Sea Salt (season to taste)
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper (season to taste)
• Olive Oil (for cooking)
• Mint Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, Mustard and Tomato Ketchup (to serve)

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Note:

The primary distinguishing difference between the zest and the rind of citrus fruit is that the rind encompasses the complete skin of the fruit and not just the colored portion as is the case with the zest.

In so far as this recipe is concerned it’s okay to include a little of the non-colored portion of the rind. This means that you don’t have to be overly meticulous when grating the lemon for its zest.

Method

1. Peel and finely dice the onion
2. Squeeze lemon to extract at least 1 tablespoon’s worth of lemon juice
3. Finely grate lemon zest (this recipe calls for at least 1 tablespoon’s worth)
4. Into a large mixing bowl add the finely diced onion, the olive oil, the chili powder, the paprika, the garlic, the sea salt, the black pepper, the lemon zest and finally the lemon juice. Note that using a stainless steel mixing bowl makes cleanup considerably easier and quicker.
5. Mix well to ensure that all of the paprika lamb marinade’s ingredients are well and truly thoroughly combined.
6. Transfer marinade (still in mixing bowl) to the refrigerator to lightly chill for 5 minutes or so.
7. Once; lightly chilled, remove marinade from refrigerator and add lamb chops. Toss lamb chops to ensure even coverage of chops with marinade.
8. Return lamb chops and marinade to refrigerator to marinate for at least another 15 minutes.
9. Marinating the lamb chops for an extended period (i.e. overnight) generally results in a superior dish with greatly improved tenderness and enhanced flavors

Tip:

Once the marinade ingredients are thoroughly combined and chilled you might wish to consider transferring the chilled marinade to a zip lock plastic bag. Then add in the lamb chops, seal bag and shake to coat chops in marinade. Put the lamb chops/marinade combo into the refrigerator to marinate further prior to cooking.

Cooking:

Use an oiled skillet to cook chops to your liking. Barbequing and grilling the paprika lamb chops are other great ways in which this versatile dish is often cooked.

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Serving:

Best served warm with vegetables and a selection of sauces; mint sauce, tomato ketchup, mustard etc. Enjoy!