By Week 480. Year 10. Tommy is 43. The Fourth of July cookout on Claycut Drive — the annual institution, the neighborhood gathering, the brisket or the hog or the ribs on the pit and the thirty or forty people in the driveway and Carl at the door and the sparklers at dusk. Colette (16) in high school, painting. The summer is loud and hot and full.
Made BBQ shrimp this week — the kind of food that fills the house with the smell of Louisiana and the knowledge that whoever walks through the door is walking into a home where the stove is on and the food is ready and the welcome is unconditional. The meal was the day. The day was the meal. Both were good. Laissez les bons temps rouler.
The BBQ shrimp was the meal this week, but the spirit behind it — that unconditional, door-is-open, stove-is-on feeling — lives in every dish that comes out of a kitchen meant to feed people you love. Lamb with sauteed veggies carries that same energy: a generous, honest meal that doesn’t ask much of you but gives a lot back. After a cookout season built around smoke and crowds and sparklers at dusk, this is the kind of recipe I keep coming back to when I want the table full and the cooking simple.
Lamb With Sauteed Veggies
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 25 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs lamb loin chops or leg steaks, about 3/4 inch thick
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
- 1 red bell pepper, sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 medium red onion, sliced thin
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Season the lamb. Pat the lamb pieces dry with paper towels. In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, garlic powder, rosemary, and smoked paprika. Rub the seasoning evenly over both sides of the lamb and let it rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
- Sear the lamb. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large heavy skillet or cast iron pan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the lamb and sear for 4—5 minutes per side until a deep brown crust forms and the internal temperature reaches 145°F for medium. Transfer to a plate and tent loosely with foil.
- Saute the vegetables. In the same pan, add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the red onion and bell peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5—6 minutes until softened. Add the zucchini and minced garlic and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Finish the vegetables. Add the cherry tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook for 2 minutes until the tomatoes just begin to blister. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper to taste.
- Rest and serve. Squeeze lemon juice over the vegetables, then nestle the lamb back into the pan. Scatter fresh parsley over everything and serve directly from the pan.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 390 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 11g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 480mg