Lamb chops from Otis Family Farms

For two years, I have been getting most of my meats from Bob Otis at Otis Family Farms - including his luscious lamb chops. He doesn't have a website (although he has been nagged about getting one from all of his customers). He can be found every Saturday and Sunday at the St. Paul Farmers Market (located at 5th and Wall Street, downtown St. Paul; 6 a.m.-1 p.m. on Saturdays, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. on Sundays). During the winter months, he is also there on most Saturdays.  (If his truck will start.) I love his meats and I applaud his method of raising animals.

 

His farmer's market blurb states, "Pasture raised beef, pork, lamb chicken, turkey & eggs. The Otis Family Farm is a local diversified small family farm located just 45 minutes east of the Twin Cities in the rolling green hills of St. Croix County, Wisconsin. Our farm embraces the belief that naturally sustainable grass raised animals should be the goal for all humane farmers. Therefore, we raised all our animals, when large enough, directly outside on green pasture, in the sunshine, in fresh air like nature intended. Questions? E-mail us at rotis@baldwin-telecom.net." 

 

He also does bulk orders (of beef, pork, lamb and chickens) and packages (mixes of different cuts of meats). The prices are comparable to many grocery stores. In some cases they may be a wee bit higher but as we do not eat meat every day of the week, it is worth a few extra pennies to know that I am buying from a humane farmer as well as a local one. You may also pre-order your Thanksgiving turkey through him. Simply pick it up at the Farmer's Market on the day before Thanksgiving or for a small fee, Bob Otis also delivers.

 

The big cities in Italy do have their large grocery stores. But the smaller towns still rely on local suppliers. Italians know the vineyards where their wine is made, their olive oil groves and their meat producers. With Farmer's Market open year round, it is easier than ever to buy local, sustainable and organic. Italians love their lamb. Lamb used to be hard to come by in the Twin Cities. Not any more. I braise lamb shanks during the winter and grill lamb chops during the summer. The recipe for lamb chops couldn't be easier. When in doubt as to how to cook lamb, the Italian classic way is just with a little olive oil, rosemary and garlic. You can't go wrong.   

 

Lamb Chops (serves four)

4 lamb chops

1-2 tbl olive oil ( I buy Il Duomo extra virgin olive oil at Morelli's Market

1 tbl fresh thyme (optional)

2 tbl rosemary (I often use more)

4 garlic cloves - smashed or minced

1 tsp sea salt (optional)

 

Lamb Chops Instructions: 

I happen to have a bumper crop of thyme on my patio so I used a lot of that. Use just one of the herbs or a mixture of both. Combine olive oil, garlic, rosemary and if using thyme and salt in a small bowl. Rub all over the lamb chops - both sides.  Let stand at room temperature for thirty minutes to one hour. You may then grill them (3-4 minutes per side for medium rare - they are tricky and you don't want to over cook so check at 3 minutes); pan fry them on the stove or roast them. When I roast then, I first sear them on the stove and then roast in a 350 degree F oven for about ten minutes. I turn them over halfway through. For rare, the internal temperature should be about 140 degrees F. For medium, the internal temperature should be about 150 degrees F. 

 

Cooked medium rare, the lamb chops will melt in your mouth.  It's delicate, mild taste is the perfect bridge between the summer sun and the autumn's chill. Do you have a lamb recipe you would like to share? If so, send it my way and I would happy to share it with the readers.  E-mail me at:  Mattkirs@msn.com.  I'm happy to hear all of you.