MINTED LAMB CHOPS, PESTO & SPICED COUSCOUS

I love a chop. My girlfriend's mum does some really lovely grilled ones that she cakes in mint sauce and then grills. I've done that here but we've got pesto things happening and a delightfully spiced giant couscous situation. It's a really straightforward and really lovely dish to have of an evening. It is not a breakfast food. Try and get good lamb chops as that's always nice to do.

Half an Hour

Ingredients

(To Serve 2)

FOR THE CHOPS

‍4 Lamb Chops
Salt & Pepper
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
4 Teaspoons Mint Sauce

FOR THE PESTO

A Handful of Fresh Basil Leaves
2 Tablespoons Pine Nuts
2 Tablespoons Parmesan
1 Clove of Garlic
Juice of Half a Lemon
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
Tablespoon Cream Cheese

FOR THE COUSCOUS

100g Giant Couscous
A Quarter of a Red Onion
A Chicken Stock Cube
Juice of Half a Lemon
Tablespoon Urfa Chilli Paste (or Harissa)
Tablespoon of Dried Oregano

Ingredients

Instructions

Get your grill nice and hot. Foil a tray and pop down four good sized lamb chops. Drizzle with olive oil and apply a bit of salt and pepper. Whack a teaspoon of mint sauce on each chop and then massage everything around so there is an even coating of seasoning on each chop. Set these aside and get your mega couscous into a a pot and cover with boiling water to boil away boilingly for about 4-5 minutes. Stir in a chicken stock cube to add extra flavour.
Make your pesto by blitzing your basil, parmesan, pine nuts, garlic clove, lemon juice and a bit of olive oil. When that is all mixed together you can blend in some cream cheese to make things a bit more... creamy.
Pop your chops under the grill for 5-6 minutes and make sure to flip them and give them another 5-6 minutes on the other side. Whilst the chops are cooking your couscous will finish cooking and be softer and more full of flavour. Whack it into a bowl and hit it with some oregano and lemon juice. Dice some red onion finely and add that as well, with a spoonful of Urfa chilli paste if you can get it. Harissa would work but honestly the Urfa stuff is delightful.
When your chops are done, they'll need to rest for 5 minutes, covered in tin foil. You can whip up a greek salad if you like. I did that but I didn't feel the need to share that recipe. Serve your chops on top of a fat dollop of creamy pesto with some couscous on the side and of course your optional salad. A really lovely way to enjoy chops.