Tonight's fun in the kitchen was motivated by running across a sale on lamb chops at the Farmer's Market, followed by a lucky grabbing of the last bunch of pencil-thin asparagus at another booth.
As the chops were marinating in a bit of garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and olive oil, I looked through what else was on hand, and this is what happened (recipe is in there if you pay attention!):
The sweet potatoes were cut up and boiled for a mash, and while they simmered and the meat marinated, the garlic scapes and shallots were chopped (small dice) and saute-ed in olive oil, seasoned with salt, pepper, and fresh thyme. Sliced mushrooms were added to that, and after it cooked down a bit over medium heat, a small drizzle of aged balsamic vinegar and about 3 tbsp of stock were added before I placed the asparagus on top. Covered that and let it steam on med-lo heat while I seared off the chops in a hot cast iron pan in a bit of olive oil over med-hi heat. After they were browned on both sides (3 minutes or so each side), they went into a preheated 400 degree oven for 10 minutes, during which, the sweet potatoes were mashed with 2 tbsp butter, a splash of almond milk, a few grates of pecorino romano, and salt/pepper to taste. The chops were taken out of the oven and moved to a platter to rest for a bit while asparagus was plated and topped with mushrooms/scapes along with the mash, and then we had dinner!
