11 Lamb Chop Recipes That Have Us Ditching The Ham This Easter (2024)

FAQs

What is the best cut of lamb for Easter dinner? ›

The most-common cuts of lamb used around Easter are definitely legs (like the Herbed Leg of Lamb by Food Network Magazine pictured above) or chops.

The best Lamb cut award goes to Lamb Loin Chops, hands down the best balance of flavor, tenderness, and value for money. These tasty mini T-bone shaped morsels have a wonderful buttery fat cap and extremely tender meat. Loin Chops are easily and quickly cooked in the pan and are reasonably priced.

We all know the two most popular meats in the world to serve as the centerpiece of an Easter dinner are lamb and ham. For most Americans, unlike most of the rest of the world, the choice is usually ham.

What's a traditional Easter menu include? The main dish for an Easter meal varies, but some typical dishes include honey-baked ham, pot roast, pork chops, and fish. Some popular side dishes include scalloped or mashed potatoes, spring vegetables, and dinner rolls.

There's no question lamb is front and centre at the Easter table - and for good reason - but there are plenty of alternatives to choose from. This is our list of some of the best meats to have for your Easter dinner: Easter Lamb.

LAMB LOIN CHOPS

One of the most readily available cuts in the case at the grocery store and butcher shop, loin chops are lean, tender and delicious!

Leg of Lamb (traditional and tasty)

Bought either as bone-in or boned and easy to carve, this is one of the most flavoursome and tender cuts of lamb. Roast in the oven and finish on the barbeque for a wholesome, smoky flavour.

The association of lamb with Easter has origins several millennia older than the venerable New Zealand Meat Board (established in 1922), however. The Jewish tradition of the Passover lamb – part sacrifice, part symbol of the deliverance of God's chosen people – dates back to Exodus.

If we look at fatty acids, like CLA and omega-3's, lamb comes out victorious and can be seen as marginally healthier. If we look at vitamins, like B12 and zinc, beef comes out victorious. The bottom line is both are excellent and both should be eaten with abundance!

Lamb chops are smaller than similar cuts of beef or pork, so plan on two loin chops or two or three rib chops per person.

Why are lamb chops so expensive? ›

Lamb (in the U.S.) is relatively expensive because lambs are not factory farmed and they weigh less than pigs and cows, yielding less meat per animal. There's a finite number of ribs on each lamb, and we prize that tender meat, which drives the perceived value up even higher.

Favorites include Capirotada (Mexican Bread Pudding), Chile Relleno, Baja Fish Tacos, Camarones A La Diabla, and Crockpot Lentil Soup.

Lamb is referenced in several Christian stories and is eaten at Easter as lamb symbolises Jesus being the sacrificial lamb of God. Easter supper always included a fruit cake with marzipan icing in the middle as well as on the top, this is known as a Simnel cake. Some people decorated this with 11 marzipan balls.

Traditional Italian food for Easter. On feast days in many houses is traditionally made homemade pasta: agnolotti, lasagne, orecchiette and many other formats. The chopping board of cold cuts (called fellata in Campania) is essential in the Easter meal: soppressata, salami, capocollo, ham, pork loin, bacon and pork.

Lamb leg is always a great option for a Sunday roast dinner. The leg meat is juicy and tender and can slow-cooked with herbs or roasted for less time and served slightly pink in the middle. This is a very versatile cut of meat and goes well with a variety of seasonings and is a great all-rounder cut of lamb.

Similarly, chocolate eggs are often given as gifts due to their symbolic meaning. Roast lamb or roast ham is the traditional meat for the main meal on Easter Sunday.

Eastern or Greek (Orthodox) Easter

Ideal size for lambs and goats is slightly heavier than the Western Easter at 40 to 55 pounds for lambs and 25 to 50 pounds for kids. Both should also be milk fed.