Equipment
Ingredients
Lamb
- 8 lamb rib chops, room temperature
- 15 ml olive oil
- 6 g kosher salt
- 2 g black pepper, freshly ground
Three-Root Mash
- 400 g yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced into 2cm cubes
- 250 g parsnips, peeled, cored, and diced into 2cm cubes
- 250 g celeriac, peeled and diced into 2cm cubes
- 80 ml heavy cream, warmed
- 50 g unsalted butter, cubed
- 4 g kosher salt
- 1 g white pepper
- water
Crispy Sage
- 16 fresh sage leaves
- 30 g unsalted butter
Marsala Sauce
- 1 shallot, finely diced
- 2 garlic, minced
- 120 ml dry marsala wine
- 150 ml beef stock
- 2 fresh thyme, sprigs
- 30 g unsalted butter, cold and cubed
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 932 kcal
- Protein
- 44 g
- Carbohydrates
- 47 g
- Fat
- 61 g
- Fiber
- 9 g
- Sugar
- 7 g
- Sodium
- 1184 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 22 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 11 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 82 mg
- Potassium
- 1374 mg
- Calcium
- 121 mg
- Iron
- 5.4 mg
- Magnesium
- 102 mg
- Phosphorus
- 354 mg
- Zinc
- 3.9 mg
- Vitamin A
- 272 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 40 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.3 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 2.5 mg
- Vitamin K
- 45 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.3 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.1 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.12 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.17 mg
- Niacin
- 1.3 mg
- Folate
- 53 mcg
- Water
- 188 g
- Alcohol
- 5 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Place the diced potatoes, parsnips, and celeriac in a large saucepan and cover with cold, well-salted water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer and cook until fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
While the roots are cooking, melt 30g of butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the fresh sage leaves and fry until crispy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the sage to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve the infused browned butter in the pan.
Drain the boiled roots thoroughly. Pass them through a potato ricer back into the warm saucepan. Fold in the 50g of cubed butter, warmed heavy cream, the reserved sage-infused butter, salt, and white pepper. Cover to keep warm.
Pat the lamb chops dry and season generously on both sides with kosher salt and black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chops for 3 to 4 minutes per side until a deep crust forms and the internal temperature reaches 54°C (130°F) for medium-rare.
Using tongs, transfer the seared lamb chops to a warm plate and loosely tent with foil. Let them rest for 5 minutes while you prepare the sauce.
Reduce the skillet heat to medium. Add the diced shallot and minced garlic to the residual lamb fat. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes until fragrant and softened, taking care not to burn the garlic.
Pour the dry Marsala wine into the skillet to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Allow the wine to simmer and reduce by half, which should take about 3 minutes.
Pour in the beef stock and add the fresh thyme sprigs. Simmer vigorously until the liquid reduces to a glossy, syrupy consistency that coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat, discard the thyme sprigs, and whisk in the remaining 30g of cold butter to emulsify the sauce.
Spoon a generous portion of the three-root mash onto each plate. Lean two rested lamb chops against the mash. Drizzle the warm Marsala pan sauce over the chops and garnish with the crispy sage leaves.
Chef's Notes
- Always use dry Marsala (secco) rather than sweet (dolce) for savory meat dishes to prevent the pan sauce from becoming cloying.
- Celeriac oxidizes quickly once peeled. If you are prepping in advance, keep the diced celeriac submerged in cold water with a splash of lemon juice until you are ready to boil the roots.
- Mounting the pan sauce with cold butter at the very end (monter au beurre) is crucial for achieving a glossy, restaurant-quality emulsion that clings perfectly to the lamb.
- Resting the lamb chops is non-negotiable; cutting into them immediately will release the interior juices onto the plate and thin out your perfectly reduced Marsala sauce.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store mash, lamb, and sauce in separate airtight containers.
Freezer: 1 month — The three-root mash freezes well. The lamb and sauce should not be frozen as their textures will degrade.
Reheating: Reheat the mash gently in a saucepan with a splash of cream. Warm the chops and sauce over low heat just until heated through to prevent overcooking the lamb.
Troubleshooting
Mash is gummy or gluey in texture.
Cause: Overworking the potatoes or using a food processor instead of a ricer or hand masher.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. Serve as is, but adjust technique next time.
Prevention: Use a potato ricer or hand masher and gently fold in the warm fats until just combined.
Marsala sauce is thin and watery.
Cause: Not reducing the wine and stock sufficiently before adding the finishing butter.
Fix: Place the sauce back on medium heat and continue to simmer until thickened, then whisk in a small splash of cold water to re-emulsify if the butter starts to separate.
Prevention: Ensure the liquids reduce until they can easily coat the back of a spoon before mounting with butter.
Garlic tastes bitter in the pan sauce.
Cause: The garlic was burned during the sauté step.
Fix: Cannot be fixed. The burnt flavor will permeate the sauce.
Prevention: Keep the heat moderate and stir constantly after adding the garlic, deglazing quickly once it becomes fragrant.
Cultural Context
Marsala is a fortified wine produced in the region surrounding the Italian city of Marsala in Sicily. While traditionally served as an aperitif or dessert wine, it became a staple in Italian-American restaurant kitchens during the mid-20th century, inspiring iconic savory pan sauces originally intended for veal, but remarkably well-suited to the robust flavor of lamb.
