If I'm going to eat lamb, a cold purple cabbage slaw is a must! :)

I like pilaf with lamb. Also, a fruit salad is nice with lamb, I think. The time per side depends on the thickness of the cut, how rare you like it (I like lamb rare to med rare) and how hot you cook them. Most things say 6 or 7 min total time.

Here is a starting guide for timing:

1. Preheat a grill or cast-iron grill pan over high
   heat. If using a charcoal grill, build the fire so that one side of the
   grill has more coals than the other — a “hot” side. If using a grill
   pan, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Rub the lamb chops with garlic and season
   aggressively with salt and pepper. If grilling, place on the hot side
   for 2 minutes per side. Move the chops to the cooler side of the grill
   to cook through, an additional 6 to 7 minutes. If using a grill pan,
   grill one side for 2 minutes to sear, then turn over the chops and place
   the pan in the oven for 5 to 6 minutes. Remove from the grill or oven
   and allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.

We eat lamb frequently. I typically cook it on a Weber charcoal grill, less frequently in the broiler.

Flavor is personal. I don't think the lemon or olive oil will impart much flavor and as lamb can be fatty, I'm not sure olive oil is needed at all. Garlic is essential, rosemary also goes well. There are also good dry rubs to use.

What goes with lamb chops? The traditional French presentation is potatoes au gratin and green beans. Mashed potatoes are also good, really anything that would also go well with steak. Salad.

Lamb can get tough and gamey if overcooked. I let it warm up out of the fridge for about 45 minutes, and then I cook to medium rare or a shade more but less than medium. How long to cook depends on the thickness and how hot the grill gets - gas grills don't get as hot as charcoal. If an inch thick and the grill is hot, maybe 4 minutes on a side. If thicker (Costco often has nice thick chops), maybe a little more. If the grill can't get very hot, I'd use the broiler and use the highest rack. Turn just once either way.

An instant read thermometer is essential for cooking any kind of meat, using one is a good habit to get into because it's internal temperature that matters, not time. Medium rare for lamb or steak is 135-140 then 5 minutes of rest.

Oven roasted potatoes go well with lamb as does asparagus with hollandaise.

Lemon is a good seasoning for lamb as it tends to cut any gamey taste.

As sides...wild rice and asparagus here. Agree with Fudd's cooking process and seasonings. In a pinch I've sauteed loin lamb chops in a nonstick skillet over low to medium heat..covered with a fat splatter protective cover. [Heat settings should be determined by the type of stove and cookware one uses. I have a glass top stove and use flat bottom cookware.] With 1.5" to 2" thick chops...saute time is about 3 minutes on each side for a finished product of rare. A tad longer for medium rare. I don't use a meat thermometer but that's because I've used this cooking method for so long that I, instinctively, know when they've reached the desired "done" point but a meat thermometer would be otherwise recommended.

Gosh, what doesn't go well with lamb?? Personally, the mashed potatoes would be at the bottom of my list but roasted potatoes, polenta, rice pilaf or risotto or couscous would all make complimentary starches on the menu. And since spinach is my all time favorite green, I'd probably opt for sauted spinach, but green beans, zucchini, asparagus, fresh peas or whatever other green vegetable you prefer would go well also. And grilled or sauted tomatoes.

I tend to theme my lamb, sometimes opting for a more British presentation (roasted potatoes and green beans), Italian (polenta, spinach and/or grilled tomtoes) or Greek/Middle Eastern (pilaf/couscous and zucchini or salad). And the seasoning for the lamb changes as well :-) Lemon, garlic and rosemary are traditional Mediterranean seasonings for roasted or grilled lamb.

The only lamb I'll eat is lamb stew right around St Patrick's Day. So I'd say, potatoes and carrots could go well with it. Sure tastes good when it's all in the stew!

Irish Lamb Stew
Submitted By: Danny O'Flaugherty
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 2 Hours 25 Minutes
Ready In: 2 Hours 45 Minutes

Servings: 10

"Juicy cubes of lamb are tossed in seasoned flour and browned in
bacon fat - and that's just the start of this rich and hearty one-pot
Irish feast!"

Ingredients:
1 1/2 pounds thickly sliced bacon, diced
6 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2 inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup water
4 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons white sugar
4 cups diced carrots
2 large onions, cut into bite-size pieces
3 potatoes
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup white wine

Directions:
1.Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.

2. Put lamb, salt, pepper, and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown meat in frying pan with bacon fat.

3. Place meat into stock pot (leave 1/4 cup of fat in frying pan).
Add the garlic and yellow onion and saute till onion begins to become
golden. Deglaze frying pan with 1/2 cup water and add the garlic-onion
mixture to the stock pot with bacon pieces, beef stock, and sugar. Cover
and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.

4.Add carrots, onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and wine to pot.
Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are
tender.

I think many people were once served mutton -- and never went back.

I only like beef stew. Speaking of that, how is it that ground chuck is advertised for $3.99/lb but 'stew meat' (AKA chuck) is $5.99? (Saw that in Wednesday's food ads.)

I'll just eat the sides, you can have the lamb chops.

Sue

I am the only one in the family that likes lamb, and I love it. I love mine rubbed with a bit of fresh rosemary, and pepper, grilled until medium rare. I love rice pilaf as well, whereas my family doesn't. Aparagus, fresh steamed beans or English peas are good. But MUST HAVE mint jelly.

I'll sit with Roseberry. :-)

In England, I believe it is mint *sauce*, not jelly. This is similar to cranberry sauce v. a can of cranberry jelly. (None-of-the-above for me, thanks.)

Thank you all so very much. Will pass your suggestions on to my granddaughter.

No mint jelly for me either. I think it's like ketchup with meat - it's too strong to compliment the flavor, I think it more masks the flavor. I wouldn't doubt that its use originated in Britain because "lamb" was sometimes gamey mutton and, in any event, was overcooked. Both of which lead to a strong, unpleasant taste.

Mint sauce, or jelly. I love a bit of it with whatever cut of lamb I am indulging in,