Sheet pan lamb chops scottadito does weeknights and celebrations with ease

When I think about cooking — and I think about cooking a lot — I generally divide it into everyday meals and special-occasion ones. Although both must be delicious, the former needs to be unfussy, practical and quick, preferably with minimal prep and cleanup, while the latter can be more of a project.

I get especially excited when I find a dish that can work double duty as a dependable weeknight dinner and an impressive celebration main. A recipe that fits into both categories is the culinary equivalent of a unicorn. Lamb chops scottadito is one such recipe. It would make a particularly great addition to your Mother’s Day table.

The traditional version of scottadito is done on the grill, cooking the meat and lemon halves until flame-kissed and charred in spots. As soon as the lamb comes off the heat, the lemons get squeezed over the chops, the citrus’s mellowed acidity still bright enough to cut through the rich, fatty meat. The dish is served so hot that you may need to, as the name suggests, exercise caution when serving yourself. (Scottadito means “burn the fingers” in Italian.)

With just four basic ingredients, not including salt and pepper, the lamb gets much of its flavor from garlic, rosemary and lemon. The sugar snap pea salad is not mandatory, but its crunch and springtime freshness — thanks to ribbons of mint, a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and shavings of ricotta salata cheese — make an ideal foil to rich meat.

Because not all home cooks have a grill, I wanted to create a version that was within reach for even more people. Almost everyone has an oven, which means they also have a broiler. And anyone who knows me knows I can’t resist the siren call of a sheet pan.

To achieve maximum charring under the broiler, I skipped the traditional olive-oil-based marinade. Instead, I rubbed a garlic-rosemary paste all over the meat and generously seasoned it with salt and pepper. I gave the lemon halves a few minutes’ head start, then added the lamb to the sheet pan, and, 10 minutes later, a most delicious aroma filled my kitchen. You may want to turn on the exhaust fan and crack open a window, because your kitchen could get smoky.

This broiled version of lamb chops scottadito, while not quite as charred as the grilled, is still sublime. Whatever you do, don’t skip the charred lemons, as the juice, softened by heat and slightly but pleasantly burned, adds an irresistible flavor to the finished dish.

A recipe you can throw together in about 30 minutes, then clean up the kitchen while the lamb is in the oven, is a true winner — one I’ll gladly take any day of the week, holiday or not.

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Sheet Pan Lamb Chops Scottadito

For the salad:

1 pound sugar snap peas, trimmed and thinly sliced at a sharp angle

½ cup fresh mint leaves, cut into thin ribbons

2 ounces ricotta salata cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler

1 lemon

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

Fine salt

Freshly ground black pepper

For the lamb:

2 lemons, halved

6 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Twelve (½-inch-thick) lamb ribs chops (2 to 3 pounds total)*

Fine salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Assemble the salad: In a large bowl, combine the snap peas, mint and ricotta salata. Using a rasp grater such as a Microplane, finely zest the lemon into the bowl and gently toss the ingredients to combine. Cut the zested lemon in half and set aside.

Make the lamb: Position an oven rack about 6 inches away from the broiling element and preheat the broiler on HIGH. Set a wire rack on a large sheet pan. Turn on your exhaust fan or crack open a window, as the kitchen might get smoky.

Set the 4 lemon halves on the rack in the sheet pan, cut side up. (If the lemons are not standing upright, trim the ends as thinly as possible to ensure they have a flat side. You want to cut off the minimum amount — not enough to expose the flesh.) Transfer the pan to the oven and broil for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the lemons start to char in spots.

Meanwhile, on a cutting board, use a chef’s knife to mash the garlic and rosemary into a paste. You may need to press on the mixture with the flat side of the knife and drag it over the board to create the paste. (You can also finely grate the garlic using a rasp grater such as a Microplane.) The rosemary should look very finely chopped, like confetti. Thoroughly pat the lamb chops dry on both sides, and rub all over with the garlic mixture. (It’s okay if it isn’t evenly distributed and clings to the meat in small clumps.) Generously season both sides of the meat with salt and pepper.

Carefully remove the sheet pan from the oven — it will be very hot — and arrange the lamb chops on the wire rack in alternating directions, nesting the lemon halves among the chops as best you can. Return the sheet pan to the oven and broil for 8 to 10 minutes, or until the lamb starts to char in spots, turning the meat over halfway through. (While it’s hard to get an internal temperature for lamb chops, as they are quite thin, you’re looking for about 130°F for medium-rare.)

Dress the salad and finish the dish: Arrange the meat on a large serving platter, and use tongs to squeeze the charred lemon halves all over the lamb chops.

Squeeze one of the zested lemon halves over the salad and drizzle with the oil. Season lightly with salt and pepper, and gently toss to coat. Taste, and add more lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper, if desired. Serve family-style, or divide the salad and lamb among individual plates.

Makes 4-6 servings

Storage: Refrigerate the lamb and salad, separately, for up to 3 days. Gently reheat the lamb in a 300-degree oven or in a skillet until warmed through.

*Notes: Lamb rib chops can considerably vary in weight and thickness. If yours skew larger/heavier, you may need to adjust the cooking time by 1 to 2 minutes per side, but keep a close eye on the meat to avoid overcooking it. Don’t skip the charred lemons; the juice adds dimension and brightness to the meat and delivers a more nuanced acidity than that of raw lemons. The recipe goes smoother and faster if you assemble the salad before you start cooking the lamb, then dress it right before serving.

Variations: To grill the lamb chops, marinate the meat in ½ cup olive oil, 6 minced garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons minced fresh rosemary for at least 3 hours and up to 12 hours. Preheat a grill over medium-high heat until hot. Remove the lamb from the marinade, scraping off any excess. (Discard the marinade.) Generously season the lamb with salt and pepper, and place on the grill. Add 4 lemon halves, cut side down, and cook until the lamb is generously charred and well marked on each side, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the meat and charred lemon halves to a large platter and, using tongs, squeeze the lemon juice all over the lamb. Serve hot.

Substitutions: For rosemary, use thyme. For sugar snap peas, use snow peas, fresh green beans or haricots verts. For mint, use dill or parsley. For ricotta salata, use Parmesan, pecorino Romano or grana Padano. Dairy-free? Skip the cheese or use a nondairy hard cheese.

Nutritional information per serving (2 lamb chops and generous 1 cup salad), based on 6, using 2½ pounds lamb | 353 Calories: 8g Carbohydrates, 104mg Cholesterol, 19g Fat, 2g Fiber, 34g Protein, 6g Saturated Fat, 270mg Sodium, 3g Sugar

— Olga Massov