Getting to know goat

[April 10, 2013]

Goat - it's not just for Stephanie Izard anymore. I'm getting know goat. I once bought goat shanks at the 61st Street farmer's market (they sounded interesting!) and put together some ideas on the fly - goat shanks sound like lamb shanks, and lamb goes nicely with mint, and look at that great mint over there, and maybe some eggplant too. I got home and found a recipe that put some of these ideas together and had a great meal. I don't generally create recipes myself, but this collaboration between flavors I know pair well, ingredients I found at the market, and techniques I read on the internet was quite successful.

So when I saw goat chops in my CSA bag, I looked for inspiration in a similar lamb analogy: Goat chops are like lamb chops. I knew I wanted something with a nut crust and mint, and found what sounded like the perfect combination in this recipe. Some edits: Since I'm trying to cook paleo at home, I omitted the cous cous (replaced with mashed sweet potatoes) and the yogurt sauce, but I'm sure that both would be delicious. I also combined pistachios with hazelnuts, since I almost always have hazelnuts on hand (they are the secret ingredient in my homemade nut butter), and have discovered how nicely hazelnuts pair with meat thanks to the Publican. I'm lazy so I omitted the onion; it seemed silly to cut up an onion for <1 tbsp worth. Cardamom has a strong flavor which kind of overwhelmed the rest of the spice rub, so I'd cut it down or omit it completely next time.

I made way too much of the nut crust, but it's tasty so no harm in that I guess. I served the chops with some mashed sweet potatoes, roasted eggplant (I happened to have some left over, but I didn't love the recipe so I won't include it here), and roasted string beans (my new favorite thing to roast). I tucked in with a full plate, a nice glass of red wine (whatever I had around - merlot I think?), and Zero Dark 30. Great movie.

Ingredients

2 goat chops

1 lemon's worth of zest

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp smoked paprika (or chili powder)

Pinch of nutmeg

Seeds from 2 cardamom pods, ground (or a pinch of cloves, or neither)

1 lemon's worth of juice
1/4 cup pistachio nuts (shelled)
1/4 cup hazelnuts
1/2 cup of mint (a large handful, roughly chopped)
1/2 cup of cilantro (a large handful, roughly chopped)

2 sweet potatoes

1 large handful of string beans

Method
1. Start with the sweet potatoes. Peel and cut into evenly sized chunks, place in a small pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and cook until they can be pierced easily with a knife. Err on the side of longer cooking - you can't really overcook them but you can undercook them. Strain and mash with butter or coconut oil and cinnamon (to taste; I like a lot of cinnamon).

2. While the sweet potatoes are cooking, preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

3. Prepare your string beans (i.e., cut off the ends). Place in a roasting pan (I cover mine with tin foil for easier cleanup) and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Put the pan in the oven; shake the pan every 5 minutes or so, and take out when they are cooked to your preferred level of doneness/crispiness.

4. Make the spice mixture: add spices and half the lemon zest to a small bowl. Mix with half the juice of one lemon and some olive oil (enough to make the mixture into a paste).

5. Dry off the chops and season with salt and pepper. Massage the chops with the spice mixture, coat with olive oil, and let sit for 10-15 minutes.

6. Make the nut crust: add nuts, herbs, the other half of the lemon zest, the other half of the lemon juice, and the olive oil into a food processor. If you are using unsalted nuts, also add a healthy sprinkle of salt (at least a teaspoon). Pulse until all ingredients are finely chopped. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

7. Heat an oven-safe skillet to medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add the chops to the pan. They should be coated with plenty of oil so your pan will not need additional fat. Brown chops for about 2 minutes on each side.

8. Take the string beans out of the oven if you haven't already - they should be done by now. Top your chops with the nut crust and put the skillet in the oven. Cook for about 5 minutes (longer if you are using thick chops), and let rest for another 5 minutes before serving.

9. Toss the string beans with any remaining nut crust.