Lamb Cutlets

Six ingredients and a casserole dish. That’s all this lamb recipe asks for, and the results are stunning. Skinned tomatoes and sliced onions simmered in butter with garlic until soft, then deglazed with dry white wine to build a fragrant braising sauce.

The cutlets go into a buttered casserole, the tomato-wine sauce gets poured over the top, and 90 minutes in the oven does the rest. The long, covered braise turns the lamb tender enough to pull apart with a fork, while the sauce reduces around it into something concentrated and glossy.

Skinning the tomatoes is worth the effort. Raw tomato skins roll up into tough, papery strips during a long braise and ruin the texture of the sauce.

Chef Tips

• Score a small X on the bottom of each tomato and blanch for 30 seconds in boiling water. The skins slip right off.
• Don’t rush the onion and tomato simmer. They should be soft and breaking down before the wine goes in.
• Keep the casserole tightly covered during the entire bake. Uncovered, the sauce evaporates and the cutlets dry out.

Variations

• Add a handful of pitted Kalamata olives and a sprig of rosemary for a Mediterranean twist.
• Use lamb shoulder chops instead of cutlets for a fattier, even more flavorful braise.
• Serve over couscous or with crusty bread to soak up the sauce.