Amador Foothill Winery

• 2 tsp dry mustard
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 loin lamb chops, cut 1 ½ inches thick (about 2 lbs)*
• 1 ½ TBSP chopped fresh thyme or marjoram
• 5 TBSP olive oil (divided use)
• 3 celery ribs, thinly sliced crosswise
• 2 leeks, white and pale green only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
• One 14-ounce can cannellini beans, drained
• 1 ½ tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 TBSP vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425. In a small bowl, mix the dry mustard with ¾ tsp each of the salt and pepper. Season the lamb chops with the mustard mixture and the fresh herbs. Drizzle 2 TBSP olive oil over the chops and let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the remaining 3 TBSP olive oil. Add the celery and leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the beans and the Dijon mustard. Stir gently until heated through, about 2 minutes. Cover and keep warm.

In a large, heavy, ovenproof skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Add the lamb chops and cook over high heat, until well-browned, about 1 minute per side. Sear the fatter edge of the chops for 20 seconds.

Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chops for 8 minutes for medium rare, turning them once. Arrange the chops on a platter and let rest 5 minutes. Spoon the beans alongside and serve with Amador Foothill Grenache.

*For two people, I used 3 thick but small loin chops that came to 1 lb total weight. I cut the amount of the dry glaze ingredients by ½, but used 1 TBSP chopped thyme. The chops cooked in my oven a little faster than indicated in the recipe, but by monitoring the temperature with an instant read thermometer, I did not over cook the chops, and they were delicious.

Original recipe from FoodandWine.com.