Curried Lamb Chops

No cooking tonight. Instead, I was off to the Iron Horse to see the Cowboy Junkies!

However, last night I tried out a recipe that I picked up ages ago from the San Francisco Chronicle - Curried Lamb Chops. Assessment? They were fine - but aren't going to make my top ten list. Now, of course, the recipe calls for chops off the rack and I only had shoulder chops. And I didn't have white wine, so I used cooking vermouth. Plus, there was no peanut oil in the house, so I just went with regular vegetable oil. Perhaps those ingredients would make a significant enough difference to really set this one apart. In any case, here's the recipe:

8 Lamb chops, preferably from the rack, about 2 lbs
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1 TBSP Curry powder
1 TBSP Peanut oil
1 TBSP Butter
2 TBSP Finely chopped shallots
1/3 cup Dry white wine
1/2 cup Fresh or canned chicken broth
1 tsp Tomato paste
1 TBSP Finely chopped parsley

Sprinkle the chops on both sides with salt and pepper. Rub them on both sides with curry powder to coat evenly.

Heat oil in a skillet large enough to hold the chops in one layer. Add the chops and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes. Turn and brown on second side, about 2 minutes. Turn onto the fatty rims and continue cooking until the rims are rendered of fat, about 2 minutes.

Turn the chops flat side down and cook, turning them occasionally. The total cooking time should be about 15 minutes. Transfer the chops to a dish and pour off all the fat from the skillet.

Add 1 tablespoon of the butter to the skillet and heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, about 15 seconds. Add the wine and bring to a boil. Cook for about 1 minute and then add the chicken broth and tomato paste. Cook over moderately high heat until reduced to about 1/3 cup. Swirl in the remaining butter and pour the sauce over the chops. Serve sprinkled with parsley.

Serves 4.