Lamb Lollipops (a.k.a. Lamb chops) are a delicious dish that can look fancy (if you want to use a nice plating) but is super simple to prepare. I’ve done this for both multi-course plated dinners and buffet style parties (like my Belated Holiday, Slumber, and Brunch Party). The recurring feedback I get is “I didn’t think I liked lamb, but these are delicious.”
For the most recent dinner party in which I made these Lamb Lollipops, I had several criteria to meet. I needed something that would have great flavor, could be grabbed in small portions to allow room to try the many other dishes, and would avoid a laundry list of dietary restrictions. These lamb chops hit the mark on all counts. Perfectly seasoned, seared, and done. You can dress them up or serve them casually. Either way, you’re sure to have a crowd favorite.
What You Need to Make Lamb Lollipops
Equipment
- Cutting Board
- Chef’s Knife
- 2 Rimmed Baking Sheets – I usually need 2 due to the quantity I make.
- 2 Wire Rack Inserts for Rimmed Baking Sheets
- Heavy Duty Aluminum Foil – I line my rimmed baking sheets for easy clean-up.
- Zip Top Bag – If you’re prepping them in advance and storing them in the fridge.
- Paper Towels
Ingredients
- Lamb Lollipops – I usually get mine at Sam’s Club in a package as seen below.
- Rosemary Garlic Seasoning Mix – You can either use a store bought mix or make your own. See the recipe below if you’d like to make your own.
Getting Started with Making Lamb Lollipops
This Lamb Lollipop recipe is pretty easy. Start by taking the rack of lamb chops out of the packaging and cut between each of the bones to make the individual lollipops. Try to keep the thickness of each chop consistent so that they all cook at the same speed.
If you are preparing these in advance, you can store the cut lamb lollipops in a large zip top bag in the fridge.
When you are ready to cook them, line the rimmed baking sheets with foil. Remove the lamb from the bag and pat each piece dry with paper towels. Lay the lamb out on the covered pan and season both sides with the Rosemary Garlic Seasoning Mix. Next, put the wire racks in place, and place the lamb lollipops on the rack.
Before you begin broiling, make sure the lamb has been out of the fridge for about 30 minutes to give it time to come up to room temperature.
Get a pair of tongs ready and turn the broiler on high. Then cook the lamb for 4 minutes, remove from the oven, flip each piece and cook for another 3 – 4 minutes on the other side.
Serve warm. If you need to keep them warm for a while, I suggest using a casserole style crockpot set to Warm.
Enjoy!
Lamb Lollipops
Ingredients
Lamb Lollipops
- 32 Lamb Lollipops Approximately 5 pounds. Cut apart into individual pieces.
- ½ cup Rosemary Garlic Seasoning Mix See below if you need or want to make your own
Rosemary Garlic Seasoning Mix (If Making Your Own)
- 1.5 tablespoons Dried Rosemary
- 1.5 tablespoons Dehydrated Minced Garlic
- 1.5 tablespoons Kosher Salt
- 1.5 tablespoons Dehydrated Minced Red Bell Pepper
- 1 tablespoon Dehydrated Lemon Peel
- 1 tablespoon Paprika
Instructions
- Cover a half sheet pan (also called a cookie tray or sheet pan) in heavy duty aluminum foil. Then line the foil with a double layer of paper towels.
- If your lamb lollipops came as one piece of meat, cut them apart between the bones to turn them into your lollipops. Lay each one on the paper towels. Then take another doubled up paper towel in hand and pat them all dry. Remove and discard all of the paper towels, leaving the lamb lollipops on the foil-lined sheet pan.32 Lamb Lollipops
- Pour your seasonings into a spice grinder and give it a few pulses. Stir it around and then give it a few more. This step isn’t strictly necessary, but I am not a fan of the larger pieces of rosemary, so I like to grind them up. Plus they are great candidates for getting stuck in between one’s teeth–not ideal at a dinner party. Sprinkle each piece of lamb with the seasoning mix on all sides. Pat the rub down to make sure it sticks before flipping them to dust the other side.½ cup Rosemary Garlic Seasoning Mix, 1.5 tablespoons Dried Rosemary, 1.5 tablespoons Dehydrated Minced Garlic, 1.5 tablespoons Kosher Salt, 1.5 tablespoons Dehydrated Minced Red Bell Pepper, 1 tablespoon Dehydrated Lemon Peel, 1 tablespoon Paprika
- Move your lamb lollipops onto a wire rack that is going to go back into your sheet pan (as soon as you get the lamb out of it).
- If prepping this the day before and you have space in your fridge, you can pause at this point and set the sheet pan straight in there or cover it with a sheet pan lid first if you happen to have one. In this case, just take the lamb out of the fridge and allow to come up to room temperature (approximately 30 minutes) before cooking.
- To cook your lamb, turn your broiler on high and have a pair of tongs ready. Place the sheet pan of lamb under the broiler and cook for 4 minutes. Remove, flip the lamb, and put it back under the broiler for another 3 – 4 minutes (depending on the thickness of your lamb lollipops).
- Remove from broiler and serve warm. If you need to hold the lamb for a few minutes before serving, tent a piece of aluminum foil over them to help hold in the heat. Or . . . I put them in a 3.5 quart casserole crockpot on warm with the lid on if I need longer or am serving them buffet style.
Equipment
- Large Rimmed Baking Sheet a.k.a. Half Sheet Pan
- Aluminum Foil
- Paper Towels
- Wire Rack fitted to the baking sheet
- Spice Grinder This isn’t strictly required, but I like my spices to be fine ground rather than having pieces of rosemary get stuck in an unsuspecting guest’s teeth.
