This On The Table recipe for Michigan-raised lamb chops and a delicious red wine gravy makes for the perfect weeknight treat. Dive into the delicious recipe imbued with far-flung memories.

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For many, lamb is special-occasion fare. I’ll never forget the Easter Sunday I was lucky enough to spend wandering the steep, winding streets of Delphi, Greece.

Every household had gathered on their little section of those narrow cobblestone passageways, and each family had speared a whole lamb onto a spit, watching as it rotated over the open fire. They were loud, laughing, sipping retsina. When one man learned it also happened to be my 15th birthday, he passed a glass of the pine resin wine to me.

Some 15 years later, it was a scene I tried to replicate in my parents’ Petoskey driveway. We ordered a whole lamb, rented a drum rotisserie and gathered the generations. We took turns painting that precious roast with olive oil, using a brush I’d made from foraged ramp leaves. But lamb doesn’t have to be reserved for the high holidays. “It’s not a fancy meat; it’s an everyday meat,” says Sharon Schierbeek of S & S  Lamb, who raises sheep from the McBain farm she grew up on and sells lamb to restaurants such as Trattoria Stella.

Lamb chops

Photo by Dave Weidner

I’ve taken Schierbeek’s advice, and when I cook lamb for weeknight occasions, I love grabbing either bone-in loin chops or lollipop chops. Both are available enough for everyday fare, but classy enough to feel like a treat. Look for these cuts from Anavery Fine Foods—a regenerative farm in Traverse City—at Oryana or from the farm’s popular meat subscription. The gravy in this recipe calls for local red wine, so don’t forget to save a splash for sipping. I promise it’s a massive improvement over retsina.

Preparing the lamb chops

Photo by Dave Weidner

Preparing spices for lamb chops

Photo by Dave Weidner

Preparing lamb chops

Photo by Dave Weidner

Lamb chops

Photo by Dave Weidner

Lamb Chops au Poivre with Red Wine Gravy

Serves 4

Ingredients 

  • 2 pounds loin or lollipop lamb chops
  • Salt to taste
  • 4 Tablespoons butter
  • 1 shallot, minced
  • 3 Tablespoons flour
  • 1 ½ cups beef broth
  • ¾ cup Michigan red wine
  • 2 Tablespoons whole rainbow peppercorns
  • 2 teaspoons whole mustard seeds
  • 2 Tablespoons neutral cooking oil
  • 1 bunch chives, thinly chopped

Step-by-Step Directions: 

  1. Salt both sides of the lamb chops to taste and set aside to bring to room temperature.
  2. Melt the butter in a skillet set over medium heat. Add the shallot and cook until fragrant and beginning to soften. Whisk the flour into the pan, moving it around until it is fully incorporated into the butter. Reduce heat to medium-low. Working slowly, begin adding the beef stock, whisking the mixture constantly so that each new splash of stock is incorporated. Once all the stock has been added, stir in the wine. Turn the heat down to low and allow the mixture to thicken, stirring from time to time.
  3. Meanwhile, use a mortar and pestle to coarsely grind the peppercorns and mustard seeds. Pour the just-broken spices onto a plate and press both sides of each lamb chop into the spices to coat. 
  4. Place a large cast iron skillet over high heat and add the oil, heating it until it is blazing hot but not yet smoking. Add the lamb chops and cook 4 to 8 minutes per side, depending on the thickness of your cut, until a meat thermometer placed in the largest chop registers 140 degrees. Remove the lamb chops and place them on a serving platter to rest.
  5. Whisk any juices from the lamb pan into the red wine sauce and season with salt to taste. Pour a generous spoonful of gravy onto each chop, top with chopped chives, and serve.
Lamb chops

Photo by Dave Weidner

Stacey Brugeman is a 20-year food and beverage journalist. Her work has appeared in Food & Wine, Saveur, Travel + Leisure, Eater and on Instagram @staceybrugeman.
Dave Weidner is an editorial photographer and videographer based in Northern Michigan. Follow him on Instagram and Facebook @dzwphoto.
Sarah Peschel, @22speschel, is a stylist and photographer with an appreciation for all things related to local agriculture, food and drink.

Photo(s) by Dave Weidner