You guys. I know you know I watch a lot of TV, but you guyssssssss, Vampire Diaries is getting off the heezy fo sheezy. That show is like a leather-clad stew of attractiveness. And I want seconds.

Same goes for these classy chops. Yes, believe it or not, every now and then I make something that doesn’t come together in a Dutch oven in less than 30 minutes. Sometimes there’s even a sauce, oh my. A rich, buttery, boozy pan sauce. Or a tapenade with chewy sundried tomatoes, salty olives and verdant herbs. Or both.

This, my friends, is Sunday Supper at its finest.

Take the extra time to marinate the chops as recommended. Your tastebuds will be stoked, and every time you open the fridge and see those little guys looking up at you…well, I’m not sure what happens exactly, but I feel a little proud.

Blackened Lamb Loin Chops with Mediterranean Tapenade & Minted Quinoa
By Emily Stoffel
Cook Time: 45 mins (plus marinating) | Serves: 2

For the Lamb Chops

• 1/4 cup olive oil + drizzle
• 1/2 cup marsala wine, divided
• 1 tsp dried Turkish oregano
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1-1.5 lbs lamb loin chops
• 1 T butter

Combine oil, 1/4 cup marsala, oregano, salt and garlic in a large zip-top bag. Add lamb and marinate for at least 4 hours or up to 2 days.

Preheat oven to 375F. Remove lamb from fridge about 30 mins before cooking to bring it to room temperature. Heat a drizzle of olive oil over high heat in a large, ovenproof saute pan until it shimmers. Shake excess marinade from lamb and place carefully in hot pan. (Discard marinade.) Sear for 5 mins or until lamb is deeply browned. Flip and sear for an additional 3 minutes, then transfer pan to the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes for medium rare. (This is a great time to make your tapenade!)

Remove lamb from pan and set aside to rest.

Carefully transfer hot pan back to stovetop over low flame. Add remaining 1/4 cup marsala and deglaze pan to collect tasty brown bits. Simmer for several minutes to reduce wine by half. Add butter to sauce.

Plate lamb alongside quinoa. Top with pan sauce and tapenade.
Kahblowie.

For the Tapenade

• small bunch (one large handful) flat leaf parsley
• 2 T chopped sundried tomatoes packed in oil
• 6 kalamata olives, pitted
• juice of 1 lemon
• sea salt

Pulse all ingredients in a food processor (a little one!) until combined. Season to taste with salt, if necessary.

For the Minted Quinoa

• 2.5 cups freshly prepared Bomb Basic Quinoa
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 1 small bunch mint (30-40 leaves), finely chopped

Stir zest and mint into hot quinoa. Eat it.