Oven Roasted Vegetables with Pan-Seared Lamb Chops

Hello, world of blog readers! I have an amazing recipe to share, a simple, yet astonishingly delicious dinner for two! It can be made for vegetarians, with a few simple tweaks, although I really enjoyed the carnivorous version :) Here are both of the recipes:

Delicious Mediterranean Lamb Dinner for Two

Ingredients:

2 large lamb chops, fresh as possible
1 bulb of fennel*
1 large red pepper
2 servings of purple fingerling potatoes
olive oil
butter
salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400° F

2. Trim fennel bulb and cut into quarters. Remove seeds and cap from red pepper, cut into quarters. Toss fennel and pepper pieces with fingerling potatoes with olive oil until lightly coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put vegetables in a single layer in a baking dish, Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and tender.

3. When the vegetables are nearly done, heat 1 tbs of butter with a drizzle of olive oil in a large frying pan. Make sure there is enough to coat the bottom of the pan. When the pan is sizzling hot, add the lamb chops. Season lightly with salt and pepper as the chops cook. Cook each side until golden brown. About three to four minutes on each side will result in a medium-rare chop. Let the chops stand a few minutes before serving.

4. Serve with the roasted vegetables and enjoy!

Delicious Mediterranean Eggplant Dinner for Two

Ingredients:

1 eggplant
1 bulb of fennel*
1 large red pepper
2 servings of purple fingerling potatoes
olive oil
salt and pepper
fresh thyme (optional, but delicious)

1. Preheat oven to 400° F

2. Cut eggplant into cubes. Soak for twenty minutes in highly salted water, then drain and pat dry. (The salt removes any bitterness from the eggplant pieces prior to cooking.)

3. Trim fennel bulb and cut into quarters. Remove seeds and cap from red pepper, cut into quarters. Toss fennel and pepper pieces with fingerling potatoes and eggplant cubes with olive oil until lightly coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put vegetables in a single layer in a baking dish, Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and tender.

4. Serve, and Enjoy!

*Fennel :

"Fennel (Foeniculum vulgare) is a plant species in the genus Foeniculum (treated as the sole species in the genus by most botanists). It is a member of the family Apiaceae (formerly the Umbelliferae). It is a hardy, perennial, umbelliferous herb, with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean, but has become widely naturalised in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on riverbanks.

It is a highly aromatic and flavorful herb with culinary and medicinal uses, and, along with the similar-tasting anise, is one of the primary ingredients of absinthe. Florence fennel or finocchio is a selection with a swollen, bulb-like stem base that is used as a vegetable."