Simplicity at its finest, this summery dish from George Ryle combines a classic Greek salad with rich, fatty mutton chops, with an optional lamb sauce poured over the top. You can of course use lamb in place of mutton – just make sure the quality of all the ingredients you're using is top-notch.
If you’re making the sauce, begin with this. Place a large, heavy-bottomed pan over a high heat and add the bones and trimmings. Cook until nicely coloured and golden all over, then remove from the pan and set aside. Turn down the heat, add the vegetables, garlic and rosemary with a pinch of salt, then cover. Cook, stirring regularly, until everything is very soft and sweet (a little colouring is fine)
Return the bones to the pan and add the white wine. Bring to a simmer, cook for 5 minutes to burn off the alcohol and reduce a little, then pour in the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 1 hour
After 1 hour, pass the liquid through a fine sieve into a clean pan, discarding the solids. Place the sauce back over a medium heat and leave to reduce until it begins to coat the back of a spoon. At this point you can chill the sauce and reheat before serving
For the salad, place the tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and olives in a bowl and season liberally with salt. Add the oregano, toss to combine, then dress liberally with plenty of vinegar and olive oil. Set aside for around 30 minutes to allow the flavours to mingle
Ensure the chops are at room temperature before cooking them. Place a pan over a medium heat and add a small drizzle of oil. Season the mutton chops well with salt, then place them vertically fat-side down in the pan and cook, moving the chops around regularly, until the fat has rendered out into the pan and it has turned golden brown
Turn up the heat and fry the lamb for about 2 minutes on each side until well caramelised, then leave to rest (pouring over any fat left in the pan) for around 5 minutes
Meanwhile, check the salad for seasoning and adjust if necessary. Reheat the sauce if needed
To serve, add some Greek salad to each plate and place the chops alongside. Finish with some crumbled feta and spoon the sauce over the meat
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