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Buttermilk Brined Lamb Chops with Corn and Pecan Romesco

Buttermilk Brined Lamb Chops with Corn and Pecan Romesco
Serves 4
2 cups buttermilk
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 springs rosemary, finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, smashed
Freshly ground pepper
2 racks of lamb chops, 8 chops per rack, cleaned and cut into individual chops
Kosher salt
Romesco Sauce (recipe below)

Combine buttermilk, mustard, rosemary, garlic, and pepper in large plastic bag. Add lamb, ensuring all chops are coated with marinade, and seal. Chill in refrigerator overnight.

Remove lamb from refrigerator 1 hour prior to cooking.

Heat a grill to high heat on one side and medium-high on the other. Remove lamb from the marinade and pat dry with paper towels. Season with kosher salt on both sides, and grill the first side on high heat, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Turn chops to the other side and place on the cooler side of the grill for the remaining 3-4 minutes for medium rare.

Serve with Romesco Sauce.

Romesco Sauce
Makes 1 quart
4 Roma tomatoes
1 bell pepper, seeded, sliced into big strips
2 ears of corn shucked
8 cloves garlic
2/3 cup olive oil
Kosher salt
½ cup toasted pecans
½ cup champagne vinegar
¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Freshly ground pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place tomatoes, peppers, corn, and garlic onto prepared sheet. Brush the vegetables with olive oil, then sprinkle with salt. Cook in oven until the garlic has turned golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove and cool for 10 minutes. Cut the kernels from the corn once ears are cool enough to handle.

Transfer all the vegetables and any juices to a food processor fitted with a blade. Add pecans, vinegar, paprika, and red pepper flakes, and puree. Drizzle in remaining olive oil with the machine running. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Recipe provided by Sun in My Belly

This article originally appeared in our Summer 2017 issue of Atlanta Magazine’s HOME.