Family Favorite--Potato Coated Lamb Chops

Culinary requests continue to pour in. And I continue to oblige.  I want to please. To satisfy. This time it's lamb chops coated with potatoes. Meat and potatoes, Shauna's favorite food groups. My mind is an eddy of emotion, sad and glad. My daughter leaves to start afresh in another city. She has left for college many times  in the past. I knew in my heart she would be home in a few months. This time it is different. This time she leaves to make her mark on the world. And yet as she sprouts wings, my heart fills with pride. It is a good thing. I put feelings aside and cook furiously. Childhood favorites. Recent delights. A parade of delights emerge from the kitchen.

In the past I would make these lamb chops as an addition to our usual Indian dinner. The family would inevitably make a meal of the chops and forget about the other food! Finally I wise up. So tonight it is to be exclusively chops. A lot of them. 

Potato-covered chops are a bit of chore to make. what I mean is that you have to cook the potatoes and lamb separately, then cool them and later make the mash. You form them next, after which comes the breading and frying. Are you exhausted already?  But they taste so good. A warm bite of potato and masala lamb with a crusty crunch makes your tastebuds sing! Yukon Golds are perfect potato for the coating as their buttery yellow flesh makes for the  perfect consistency. When you are done with the meat and its potato jacket, you get to gnaw on the bone and pick out the morsels you missed! What joy for bone lovers. And such a delight to watch!😏Yeah! I'm yanking your chain. We have but one bone lover. Rest assured....watching him is not that pleasant a sight! What we do for love!

Potato Coated Lamb Chops.

Makes 8 pieces

1 Rack of Lamb

1/2 teaspoon Chile powder

1/2 teaspoon Garam masala

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon Garlic paste

3 coins of Ginger

6 medium Yukon Gold Potatoes

1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 Egg

1 cup Breadcrumbs ( more if needed )

Canola oil for frying

Trim the rack of lamb of fat. 

Cut the rack into individual lamb chops. You should get eight chops.  

Put the lamb chops into a saucepan.

Add chile powder, garam masala, salt garlic paste and ginger slices. Stir to mix well.

Add enough water to cover the chops. 

Put the pan on a high flame and let water come to a boil. Cover, lower flame to medium and let chops cook for 25-30 minutes or till they are done. Poke the chops with a knife tip. If the knife slides in easily, they are done. Stir the chops every so often. 

Once the chops are done, turn the flame up high and reduce the gravy. This could take anywhere between 15 and 20 minutes, depending on how much water was left. You should be left with a film of gravy on the bottom of the pan. Try not to let the chops burn. Let the chops cool.

While the chops are cooking, boil the potatoes. 

When the potatoes are done, remove from the water, peel and rice them. Mix to make a smooth mash.

Season with salt and cool.

Divide the mash into 8 orange sized balls. 

Take one ball and flatten it slightly.

Place one chop in the center of the ball and start molding the potato around the chop. The chop should be completely covered with the mash.

Do the same to the other seven chops.

When you are ready to fry, break the egg in a bowl and whisk it lightly with a fork.

Spoon about 2 tablespoon of breadcrumbs onto a wooden board. 

Holding the chop by the bone, dip it gently into the whisked egg.

Then place it on the crumbs. Using your finger, sprinkle crumbs all over the egg- coated part, making sure to cover all the potato.

Do the same to the other seven.

Heat canola oil in a deep saucepan or use a deep fat fryer.

Test the oil by dropping in a few crumbs. They should sizzle when they hit the oil.

Add the chops gently to hot oil. Depending on the size of your pan, you could fry two or three chops at a time. Fry them for a few minutes until they turn golden brown.

Serve them warm. Watch them go like hotcakes!

NOTES

I use lamb chops for ease and convenience. Mutton or goat meat chop are traditionally used. Both taste great.

The chops could be cooked in a pressure cooker too. Just bring the water to a boil, cover with the lid and follow the pressure cooker directions. Cook the meat for 15 minutes. Once the pressure has cooled, remove the lid and reduce the gravy as the recipe above states.

Yukon Golds are my personal favorite. Feel free to substitute any potato.

The tray barely reaches the dinner table and fingers reach in laying stake to brown gold. We talk and eat and wipe greasy fingers on pristine napkins. Chops vanish into hungry pits. Bones are picked clean. Crumbs decorate plates. Another request accommodated. And a none too distant repeat performance is requested!!!!

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