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Fried Lamb Chops with Parmesan
Take some lamb chops from the loin or neck. Mix some bread crumbs with a little grated Parmesan cheese. Dip the chops first into clarified butter and bread crumbs, and afterwards into beaten egg and bread crumbs. Fry the chops as before until they are lightly browned on both sides, dish them in a circle, and send tomato sauce to table in a tureen. Time, ten to fifteen minutes.
A double-breaded chop, shallow-fried and served with tomato sauce passed separately. The recipe assumes you have read the frying instructions in the entries just before it, so a few details need filling in.
- The double coating is the pointClarified butter and crumbs first, then beaten egg and crumbs on top of that. The butter layer sets against the meat and the egg layer binds the outer crust, giving a thicker shell than egg alone. The recipe says nothing about resting, but chilling the coated chops 15-20 minutes helps the crust stay put in the pan.
- Clarified butterButter with the milk solids and water removed, so it browns rather than burns. Melt unsalted butter gently, skim the foam, and pour off the clear fat, leaving the milky residue behind. Ghee is closely related and can be bought ready-made, though it is cooked longer and tastes nuttier.
- "Fry the chops as before"This points back to the preceding fried-chop entries in the book, which are not reproduced here. The method is shallow frying in butter, not deep-frying and not a dry pan; the exact depth of fat and the heat are left to the earlier entries.
- Loin or neckLoin chops are the tender cut and need only the stated time. Neck chops (sold now as neck fillet, shoulder or blade chops) carry more connective tissue and are better suited to slower cooking; if you use them, choose thin ones and expect a chewier result.
- Ten to fifteen minutesThe recipe's time suits a fairly thin chop turned once; on a 3/4 inch chop the longer end of that range will take it beyond pink. For pink lamb pull them at 130-135F internal; USDA guidance for whole cuts is 145F with a three-minute rest. Thicker chops will burn the crust before the centre catches up.
- Grated Parmesan proportionNone is given. About two tablespoons of finely grated Parmesan to a cup of dry breadcrumbs is enough to taste without making the coating scorch. Cheese in the crumb browns faster than crumb alone, so keep the heat moderate.
- Dishing in a circleThe recipe asks only for the chops to be arranged in a ring on the dish; period service of this kind often stood or overlapped the chops with the bones outward, sometimes with vegetables in the centre. The sauce goes in a separate tureen so the crust stays crisp.
- YieldTwo loin chops per person for a main course, one as a course within a longer meal. Fry in batches rather than crowding the pan.