RECIPE: No-fail, restaurant-quality lamb loin chops

Just like delicate fish fillets, lamb chops all too often can seem intimidating to cook at home. The lamb chops most often served at restaurants — the chops cut from the rib and that look like lollipops — are quick-cooking, expensive and have a high margin of error when it comes to proper cooking. But rib chops are not the only lamb chops you’ll find at the butcher’s counter; the other small chops — the ones cut from the loin — are equally speedy to cook, but far more forgiving and cheaper, to boot.

Lamb loin chops look like tiny T-bone steaks. They’ve got enough fat and connective tissue that they’ll still be plenty tender across a wide range of doneness temperatures, and they’re just as picturesque on the plate. You can cook them indoors in a skillet (eight chops, which serves four, will easily fit in a large, 12-inch skillet) or outdoors on a grill. Keep in mind that you’ll need to use a gas grill if you want to cook the dish in less than 30 minutes.

I like to stir together a sauce of spicy harissa, yogurt and cilantro to serve with the chops. (Thick, whole milk Greek-style yogurt works best.) A handful of toasted and chopped walnuts sprinkled over the top brings a nutty finish. For a restaurant-style presentation, spread half of the yogurt sauce on a platter before topping with the meat, nuts and extra cilantro. Pass the remaining sauce around the table for dipping and dolloping.