Sake-glazed lamb chops with cilantro-mint vinaigrette

Ok, based on response to my Tweet about it last night, here's how to make the sake-glazed lamb chops with cilantro-mint vinaigrette.

Depending on how many people you're feeding, you'll want to get 4-6 chops per person. Costco actually has surprisingly good chops at a pretty reasonable price under the Kirkland brand -- you can generally find them in their meat section.

Once you're home with the rack of chops, you need to cut them down into individual chops. Use a sharp knife and cut in between the chop bones; use careful and sure strokes so that you don't mangle the meat as you cut it. Once you have them cut down, you will see a fat cap on the bone side of the chop -- cut off just the cap (i.e., only the portion covering the bone, not the portion covering the meat).

For the marinade, combine the following ingredients in a large zip bag with the chops:

• 1 cup sweet sake (doesn't need to be premium sake)
• 1 cup soy sauce
• Dried chili flakes (I usually just dump in a bunch -- maybe a tablespoon)
  
• 1-2 tablespoons minced garlic (2-3 cloves if you're doing it that way)
• 1 minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil

You want the chops to marinade for a couple of hours at least -- the longer they marinade, the better the chops will be.

In a food processor, combine the following for the vinaigrette:

• 3/4 bunch of cilantro
• Full handful of mint leaves
• 3/4 bunch of parsley
• Chili oil (I pour liberally, but it's up to your heat tolerance)
• Fresh ginger
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup peanut oil

Mix with the food processor until you get a salad dressing consistency with the bits of the greens still visible.

I made this with some sushi rice on the side, drizzled with the vinaigrette -- the rice or other sides are optional.

Cook the lamb until rare or medium rare on a grill. Let cool for a few minutes and place in a bed of the vinaigrette with a little more vinaigrette drizzled on top (I generally serve a bowl of the vinaigrette on the side as well).

Best eaten by simply picking the chop up -- fork and knife are not required for the lamb.

This is inspired by the famous lamb chops at Chinois on Main in Santa Monica.