Garlic And Mint Rubbed Lamb With Blue Cheese And Almond Risotto

• Risotto
• 2 Tbsp Butter divided
• 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 cup Risotto Rice (Arborio)
• 2-3 cups Chicken Broth divided
• 2 Shallots sliced thin
• 3 Garlic cloves chopped
• 2/3 cup Blue Cheese
• 1/2 cup Almonds
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• 2 racks of well trimmed Lamb Chops (I'm guessing 1 1/2 - 2 lbs)
• 6 Garlic cloves very finely chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped Mint
• 2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil
• Juice of 1/2 Lemon
• Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Risotto
2. We're going for a standard Risotto preparation here. Begin by melting 1 Tbsp butter in the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the rice and toss to coat. Allow rice to toast stirring frequently (almost constantly). I like to season with salt and pepper at this point. Once fragrant and slightly toasted, about 5-6 minutes, add shallots and garlic. Stir another couple of minutes and reduce heat if necessary to prevent any burning. Now begin adding broth. Start with 2 ladle fulls and stir constantly until all liquid is absorbed. Repeat this process of slowly adding liquid and stirring until rice is tender (about 20 minutes). Add the blue cheese and stir till melted. In a separate pan, melt the 2nd Tbsp of butter over medium heat and add the almonds. Stir almonds around to coat and toast for 4-5 minutes just until fragrant. Add almonds to Risotto. Check your seasoning and consistency. Feel free to add more liquid if it's not creamy enough for you or if the rice is a little more al dente than you prefer. As long as you add just a little at a time, you should be fine.
3. Lamb
4. Salt and pepper the lamb. Combine the garlic, mint, lemon and olive oil in a bowl. Rub over the lamb and place on a lined baking sheet. Into a 425 degree oven for approximately 8-10 minutes. Turn over and cook another 8-10 minutes then check the temperature. We thought 130 degrees was perfect but we like rare. 145 degrees for medium if you prefer.
5. Once you remove the lamb from the oven, let it rest for 10 minutes (at least) before slicing. The temperature will rise another few degrees in the process.
6. To plate (I always like plating if I can), place a good scoop of the risotto in the center and then arrange 3-4 individual chops around that. A healthy sprinkling of finely chopped green onion or parsley would be spectacular.

butter, olive oil, chicken broth, shallots, garlic, blue cheese, almonds, salt, chops, garlic, ubc, olive oil, lemon, salt

Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/garlic-and-mint-rubbed-lamb-with-blue-cheese-and-almond-risotto-1270384 (may not work)