Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction and Rosemary Baked Potato Wedges

I wanted to try something a little more fancy the other night and found this great lamb recipe and a little something to go with it. It really wasn't that difficult and looked beautiful on the plate. The name makes it sound a lot more complicated than it is, so give it a try!

Lamb Chops with Balsamic Reduction

Serves 2

Prep time: 10 min Cook time: 15 min

Ingredients:

3/4 tsp dried rosemary

1/4 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried thyme

salt and pepper to taste

4 lamb chops (3/4 inch thick)

1 Tbs olive oil

1/4 cup minced shallots

1/3 cup aged balsamic vinegar (I just used regular balsamic vinegar that I already had, I honestly don't know the difference between that and "aged" except that the latter is obviously older)

3/4 cup chicken broth

1 Tbs butter

Directions:

1. In a small bowl or cup, mix together rosemary, basil, thyme, salt and pepper. Rub this mixture onto the lamb chops on both sides. Place them on a plate, cover and set aside for 15 minutes to absorb the flavors.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place lamb chops in the skillet, and cook for about 3 1/2 minutes per side for medium rare, or continue to cook to your desired doneness. Remove from the skillet and keep warm on a serving platter.

3. Add shallots to the skillet and cook for a few minutes, just until browned. Stir in vinegar, scraping any bits of lamb from the bottom of the skillet, then stir in the chicken broth. Continue to cook and stir over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, until the sauce has reduced by half. If you don't, the sauce will be runny and not good. Remove from heat, and stir in the butter.

4. Place lamb chops on a bed of baby spinach leaves and pour reduction over them. Serve immediately.

Rosemary Baked Potato Wedges

Serves 4

Prep time: 35 min Cook time: 45 min

Ingredients:

1 1/2 tsp olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoons butter, melted

1 1/4 pounds Yukon God potatoes, scrubbed and cut into wedges

3 Tbs and 1 tsp flour

3 Tbs and 1/2 tsp bread crumbs

1 1/2 tsp rosemary

3/4 tsp garlic powder

3/4 tsp onion powder

3/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 F. Prepare one cookie sheet with cooking spray.

2. Stir together the olive oil and melted butter. Place the potato wedges in a large bowl; pour the butter mixture over the potatoes; toss to coat. Mix together the flour, bread crumbs, rosemary, garlic powder, onion powder, and salt; add to the potatoes and stir. Spread the potato wedges in a single layer on the baking sheet.

3. Bake in the preheated over until browned, about 40 minutes.