Mains · By Cam

Grilled Lamb Chops — Marinated

When our family was vacationing in Greece (Cam was 14, Joc was 11), we enjoyed exceptional grilled lamb. The most memorable occasion was when we were on the island of Santorini, where Cam and I rented a moped to roar around the island. Around lunch-time we rode by a scruffy restaurant on one of the back roads with a gravel parking lot. We were hungry and took our chances, but asked to sit on their veranda overlooking the gravel parking lot, since the interior was not inspiring confidence. We ordered the grilled lamb, and waited. In less than 10 minutes the waiter barreled onto the veranda with a massive platter perched on his shoulder. As he lowered it to the table our senses were overcome: so many grilled lamb sections were piled onto this huge platter, surrounded by big wedges of bright lemon, these sights accompanied by the heavenly smells of charcoal grilling layered with uncommon quantities of garlic, rosemary, and pepper. The waiter proceeded to ceremoniously squeeze several of the lemon wedges over the whole glorious plate, releasing a whole new set of smells! Cam, as I said, was 14 and so the platter may not have been quite equally distributed, but I had enough to never forget. We still talk about that platter, suffused with deep charcoal smokiness, grilled to a crispy outer, and medium-rare inner, perfection, and wonderfully brightened with lemon acidity! The recipe here is the closest approximation of that experience I've been able to find, although Cam did marinated lamb chops for the family out at Lake Huron last summer (2024) — amazing!