Grilled Lamb and Roasted Potatoes

     It's been a busy week, but somehow last night I found time between work and homework to make what turned out to be a really good meal.  We had grilled lamb chops, roasted potatoes and grilled squash.  It was a rustic comfort food meal.  Kevin and I both love lamb and grilling it really gives it a great flavor.  I adapted these recipes from a couple that I found online.

Grilled Lamb Chops with Fresh Herbs and Grilled Lemon
source: adapted from Bobby Flay
- 2 lamb shoulder chops
- 1/3 cup olive oil, 2 tbs for lemons
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, finely chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 lemons, cut in half
     Whisk together olive oil, minced, thyme and rosemary.  Cover lamb chops in marinade in shallow dish, turn to coat.  Allow to marinate for at least an hour in the fridge, then allow to come to room temperature.  Grill chops on high for about 6 minutes each side, until medium rare. While grilling the lamb chops, brush the lemons with olive oil and grill on high for 2 minutes.
     Remove lamb chops from heat and allow to rest for a couple of minutes.  Squeeze the juice of a lemon over the top of the lamb chops and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.  Add a sprig of rosemary or thyme and grilled lemon to garnish.

Roasted Potatoes
source: modified from The Novice Chef and Jaimie Oliver 
     For this recipe, I used small red potatoes.  The original recipe calls for fingerling potatoes, so use those if you have them or any other small potato that you like.  It's important that you boil the potatoes before roasting them in the oven because this ensures that they will be cooked all the way through.  If the potatoes aren't browned after 45 minutes, you can bump the temperature up a bit or broil them for a couple minutes to make sure they are nice and golden brown.  
- 1 lb red potatoes, cut into quarters or sixths (large bitesize pieces)
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 tbs of fresh thyme leaves, chopped
- sea salt and black pepper
- 3-4 tbs olive oil
- water
     Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add potatoes and cook for about 8 minutes.  Drain potatoes in collander and allow to dry for about 5 minutes.  Be sure to toss them a bit during this process to remove excess water.
     In a roasting pan or cast iron casserole dish, combine the potatoes, garlic, fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil.  Toss to evenly coat the potatoes and spread out the potatoes into a single layer.  Place into the oven and roast for about 45 minutes, until potatoes are golden brown. Make sure to stir and reposition them a couple of times throughout, so that they are evenly browned and crisp. Serve immediately.