Friday night, we planned on cooking out and using his Weber charcoal grill that I gave him for his birthday. I was really in the mood to cook and try something new, so who did I turn to, but our good friend Gena Knox! We had never tried grilling with cedar planks, so I picked a recipe that included that type of cooking. I hit up Fresh Market (best grocery store ever) and was pleasantly surprised to see an entire Gena Knox display with grilling accessories and cookbooks. I selected her "Herb-crusted Lamb Chops with Feta". I had never cooked lamb before, so this would certainly be a challenge! As side dishes, I chose freshly picked corn and asparagus. As a starchy side, I chose another Gena Knox Favorite, "Cheese Polenta".
Starting off with delicious ingredients. The recipe involves zesting two lemons and I almost 'zested' my knuckle off.
Soaking the cedar planks for a few hours before use. They smelled so good!
Ryals doing his part and pouring me a glass of wine. Everyone knows wine is vital to good cooking.
The mixture that goes on top of the chops is a delicious mix of feta, panko bread crumbs, lemon and herbs. it was so good and could be used on other recipes too.
Chops and mixture are finally done.
Cheese polenta's on the stove - delicious! The Fontina cheese really made it!
I'm not going to lie, the asparagus kinda sucked...
Bubba wanted in on the action!
Gettin' the chops on the grill and using the cedar planks. It's not as easy as it looks kids.
Checking on the chops. Gena recommends cooking for 12 minutes...YEAH RIGHT. After 12 minutes, they looked the same as when we put them on.
Executive decision - remove the cedar planks and cook directly on the grill for faster cooking. Still took forever, but the cedar taste stayed with it.
***Side note: Please notice that I am wearing the purple Tracy Reese shirt I discussed in a previous post. Well, after I posted that blog with all the items I coveted, my sweet mom called Heery's to see if they had it in my size. As luck had it, the bi-annual 70% off sale had just started and they just happened to have my size (last one)! She surprised me by sending it to me (with another shirt from that post) at work. I had no clue what it was when I opened the package and she included a note that said "To our Atlanta Design Chick"...how sweet! I have the best mom ever!
Chops done! Delicious gourmet meal a la Atlanta Design Chick and Ryals (he needs a stage name - how about Atlanta Lawyer Dude - hahahah...stupid).
Here are the recipes - try them out:
Herb Crusted Lamb Chops with Feta
Ingredients
1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary leaves
1 large garlic clove, minced
Grated zest of 2 lemons
3 tablespoons olive oil
8 lamb loin or rib chops, each 1 1/4inches thick
3 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup panko bread crumbs
Directions
Preheat grill to 425 degrees. In a small bowl, combine parsley, rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and olive oil. Season generously with salt and pepper. Combine half the mixture with bread crumbs and feta cheese; set aside. Rub remaining mixture on lamb chops.
Place soaked planks on grill; close lid and heat 3 minutes. Using tongs, turn plank over and place lamb chops directly on heated side. Close lid; cook 6 minutes. Pat equal amounts of feta topping onto each chop. Close lid again and continue cooking 5 to 6 more minutes or until desired doneness (meat thermometer should read 130 degrees). Remove chops and plank from grill. Cover with foil and let sit for 5 minutes before serving!
Cheese Polenta
Ingredients
2 cups chicken broth
2 cups water
1 cup stone-ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/2 cup cubed Fontina cheese
Directions
In a medium saucepan, bring chicken broth and water to a boil over high heat. Whisk constantly, slowly stirring in cornmeal. Stir in salt. Lower the heat and cover. Cook polenta at a gentle simmer, stirring frequently until creamy and not grainy, about 25 minutes. Remove polenta from heat, stir in cheese and serve.
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO
I saw that Ryals uploaded these pics to facebook, and when I saw them, I knew a blog post would soon follow. Good luck to Ryals! See y'all soon for our cruise!!!!
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