Greek Lamb Shoulder Chops

I love it when I wing a recipe (or like this one, combine two) and it turns out amazing.  Unfortunately I also have a bad habit of not writing it down and never being able to re-create it.  This time, I will document and share it here!

I love lamb shoulder chops--they're a cheap way to get tasty, hormone-free, grass-fed meat.  Publix had them on sale this week for $3.99/lb.  Their lamb cuts (but not ground lamb) are usually from Australia, where raising lamb on pasture is the norm, so they're typically grass-fed.  I realized that I didn't have enough time to cook the chops the way I normally do in the oven.  I also was at a loss on what to serve with them when it hit me--lamb goes great with Greek seasonings, and I had tomatoes and green beans. I also had feta cheese but once I got wrapped up in cooking I totally forgot to use it.

Greek Lamb Shoulder Chops

4 lamb shoulder chops

1 tbs. extra virgin olive oil (more if needed)

salt & pepper 

1 small sweet onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. oregano

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

1.5 cups beef stock

1 bag of frozen fancy green beans

1 large can of diced tomatoes

Feta cheese for garnish/topping (optional, I forgot)

Heat olive oil in a large pan (stock pot, deep frying pan, or dutch oven would also work) on medium high heat.  Sprinkle salt and pepper over lamb chops, then sear for 2-3 minutes per side or until nicely browned.  Remove the chops from the pan, lower heat to medium, and saute onions until translucent (add more oil if needed).  Add garlic and cook for another minute or two, and then deglaze the pan with the beef stock, letting it reduce and darken for a couple of minutes.  Put the chops back in the pan, add frozen green beans, canned tomatoes, and seasonings.  Do your best to mix them around a bit.  Increase heat to medium high, bring to a boil, and then turn it down to a rapid simmer.  I stirred and checked the chops periodically for tenderness, but overall I believe they simmered for around an hour, lid off for the last 20 minutes to help the sauce thicken.  

I was floored by how good this was, and even my food critic Miss A kept raving about how she loved it.  I would have a picture of it plated, but we inhaled it and went for seconds!  I imagine this recipe would work wonderfully in a slow cooker, which I don't have right now.  My trusty Hamilton Beach cracked (leaving my counter steeped in chicken stock...) and I am anxiously awaiting it's backordered replacement--an Instant Pot Duo60.  It does everything--pressure cooking, slow cooking, searing, steaming, rice cooking, yogurt making, etc.  I've wanted one for a couple of years now but vowed to use my crock pot until it died.  Guess I got my wish!