The little T-bones of lamb, done exactly the way the Sunday table remembers

Loin chops, peas, mash and a jug of proper mint sauce — some dinners don't need reinventing. Loin chops are the little T-bones of lamb: a nugget of loin one side of the bone, a scrap of tenderloin on the other, and they cook faster than the potatoes do. And real mint sauce isn't a project — it's chopped mint, sugar and vinegar stirred together in five minutes, and it runs rings around anything from a jar. Twenty-eight minutes, start to plate, and most of that is the spuds.

28 mins 2 servings Prep 10 minsCook 18 minsMain CourseAustralian

Ingredients

  • 4 Your Farmer grass-fed lamb loin chops
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 1 bunch mint, leaves picked and finely chopped (for the mint sauce)
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar (for the mint sauce)
  • 2 tbsp boiling water (for the mint sauce)
  • 3 tbsp malt vinegar (for the mint sauce)
  • 800g potatoes, peeled and chopped (for the mash)
  • 40g butter (for the mash)
  • 2 cups frozen peas

Instructions

For the mint sauce

Stir the sugar into the boiling water until it dissolves, then stir in the chopped mint and the vinegar. Set it aside — it only gets better as it sits.

1 bunch mint1 tbsp caster sugar3 tbsp malt vinegar

For the mash and peas

Put the potatoes in a pot of cold, well-salted water, bring to the boil and cook for 12–15 minutes until tender.

800g potatoes

Cook the peas in a small pot for the last 3 minutes of the potato time. Drain both, then mash the potatoes with the butter and a splash of their cooking water. Season and keep warm.

2 cups frozen peas40g butter

For the chops

While the potatoes cook, pat the chops dry, rub with the oil and season generously on both sides.

4 loin chops1 tbsp olive oil

Heat a grill pan over high heat until properly hot. Stand the chops on their fat edge for 1–2 minutes until golden, then cook 3–4 minutes per side for medium.

Rest the chops on a warm plate, loosely covered, for 5 minutes.

Serve the chops on the mash with the peas alongside and the mint sauce spooned over the top, jug on the table for seconds.

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Your Farmer CSA grass-fed lamb share — Pack B selection of pasture-raised lamb cuts, vacuum-sealed, NSW & ACT delivery
CSA Pastured Lamb Share
Sale price From $150.00Regular price $162.41

The Little T-Bone of Lamb

Loin chops come from the saddle — the stretch of the lamb's back between the ribs and the leg, the muscles that do the least work. Less work means more tenderness, and each chop is a small T-bone: the eye of the loin on one side of the bone, a little medallion of tenderloin on the other, and a strip of fat along the outside edge that's there for flavour, not for trimming. Because the meat is so tender, the rules are steak rules — hot pan, a few minutes a side, pull them while they're still pink. Overcooking is the only way to ruin them. Your Farmer® loin chops come as a four-pack in every pasture-raised lamb share, and lamb raised entirely on pasture has the clean, sweet fat that mint sauce was invented for.

Swaps and Variations

Cutlets work the same way — they're thinner, so knock a minute off each side. Chump chops are bigger and take a minute or two longer, and both wear mint sauce just as happily. If malt vinegar isn't in the cupboard, red wine vinegar makes a slightly softer sauce, and a pinch more sugar tames it for young palates. Mint jelly is a different thing altogether — sweeter, set, and fine if that's the memory you're chasing — but the fresh sauce is sharper and takes five minutes, so I'd start there. To feed four adults properly, add a second four-pack of loin chops and double the mash — the sauce already makes plenty. And the mash is only ever as good as the spud, which is a fine excuse to keep a box of regenerative potatoes in the pantry.

Storage and Leftovers

Once thawed, raw chops keep 2–3 days in the coldest part of the fridge. Cooked chops keep 3 days in an airtight container, and the mint sauce keeps a good two weeks in a jar in the fridge — the vinegar and sugar look after it. Leftover lamb is best eaten cold or flashed briefly in a hot pan; the microwave takes it past pink in seconds. My favourite next-day move: slice the cold lamb off the bone, stir a spoonful of mint sauce through plain yoghurt, and you've got dressing and meat for a very good lamb salad.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know when loin chops are medium?

For chops around 2.5–3cm thick, 3–4 minutes a side over high heat gets you there. They should feel springy rather than squishy when pressed, and if you use a thermometer, pull them at about 60°C — the temperature keeps rising while they rest.

Can I make the mint sauce ahead?

Yes — it actually improves after a few hours and keeps around two weeks in a jar in the fridge. Give it a stir before serving.

Can I use mint jelly instead of mint sauce?

You can, but they're different creatures. Jelly is sweet and set; the fresh sauce is sharp and loose, and it cuts the richness of the lamb better. If you grew up on jelly, serve both and let the table vote.

My chops are thicker or thinner than usual — how do I adjust?

Thin chops need as little as 2 minutes a side; very thick ones can take 5. Always start on the fat edge regardless — the rendered fat is half the flavour of the cut.

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