One tray, four chops, no decisions

The trick to a tray bake with a quick-cooking chop is simple: the potatoes get a head start. Twenty-five minutes alone in a hot oven with rosemary, garlic and olive oil, and then the loin chops land on top for the final blast — long enough to brown, short enough to stay pink at the bone, dripping their lamb fat over the spuds as they go. There's a roasted lemon in there for squeezing, one tray to wash, and the sort of quiet at the table that tells you it worked.

55 mins 2 servings Prep 15 minsCook 40 minsMain CourseAustralian

Ingredients

  • 4 Your Farmer grass-fed lamb loin chops
  • 800g potatoes, cut into chunky wedges
  • 1 red onion, cut into wedges
  • 4 cloves garlic, skin on and lightly squashed
  • 3 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped and roughly chopped
  • 3 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to season
  • 1 lemon, cut into wedges

Instructions

Heat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan). Toss the potatoes, onion, garlic and rosemary with 2 tablespoons of the oil, salt and pepper on a large roasting tray and spread them out in one layer.

800g potatoes1 red onion4 cloves garlic3 sprigs rosemary

Roast for 25 minutes until the potatoes are taking colour at the edges.

Meanwhile, rub the chops with the remaining oil and season generously on both sides.

4 loin chops1 tbsp olive oil

Pull the tray out, turn the potatoes, and nestle the chops on top with the lemon wedges tucked between.

1 lemon

Roast for another 12–15 minutes until the chops are browned but still pink inside.

Rest everything on the tray for 5 minutes — the chops finish gently and the juices soak into the potatoes.

Serve straight from the tray, squeezing the soft roasted lemon over the lot.

Appears in

Your Farmer CSA grass-fed lamb share — Pack B selection of pasture-raised lamb cuts, vacuum-sealed, NSW & ACT delivery
CSA Pastured Lamb Share
From $183.33

Why the Chops Go In Late

Loin chops are the little T-bones of lamb — loin one side of the bone, tenderloin the other — and like any T-bone they're built for short, hot cooking. That's the whole reason this tray bake runs in two stages. Potatoes want forty minutes; a loin chop wants fifteen at the outside. Put them in together and you either eat grey lamb or crunchy spuds. Stagger them and both arrive perfect, with the bonus that the chops drip rendered lamb fat over the potatoes for the final stretch — a small roast dinner's worth of flavour on a Tuesday tray. The five minutes of resting on the tray at the end isn't optional either: it finishes the chops gently and sends their juices into the spuds instead of onto the chopping board. The chops come four to a pack in every lamb share, and Your Farmer® lamb is raised entirely on pasture, which keeps that fat clean-tasting rather than heavy.

Swaps and Variations

Chump chops slot straight in — they're a touch bigger, so give them the full 15 minutes and a couple more to rest. Forequarter chops are a different animal altogether; they want long, slow cooking, so save those for the casserole pot rather than this tray. On the vegetable side, chunks of pumpkin or carrot can join the potatoes from the start, and a handful of cherry tomatoes thrown on with the chops collapses into an instant dressing. Oregano or thyme stand in for rosemary happily. The potatoes carry this dish, so start with good ones — a 3kg box of seasonal regenerative potatoes keeps the tray-bake habit supplied for weeks.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftovers keep 3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. The potatoes reheat brilliantly — 10 minutes in a hot oven brings the crisp edges back — but reheat the lamb gently or not at all; cold lamb sliced off the bone is genuinely good, and it beats an overcooked second lap in the oven. My favourite next-day version: rough-chop the leftover potatoes and crisp them in a pan, slide in the sliced lamb at the last minute, and top with a fried egg.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to parboil the potatoes first?

No — that's what the 25-minute head start in a hot oven is for. Cut them into chunky wedges rather than big halves and they'll be soft in the middle and golden at the edges right on time.

How do I know the chops are done without cutting into them?

They should feel springy when pressed, not soft and not firm. If you have a thermometer, pull the tray at about 60°C in the thickest part and let the rest do the last few degrees.

Can I make this feed four adults?

Yes — add a second four-pack of chops and another 400g of potatoes, split across two trays so nothing steams. Same timing, same method.

Can I use frozen chops?

Thaw them overnight in the fridge first. A frozen chop dropped on the tray will throw water, stew the potatoes around it and never brown properly.

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