Grilled Lamb Chops with Oven Roasted Asparagus and Fresh Beets

I felt the need to post this right away because Cecily who is in NYC was having a hankering for Easter lamb and wished that she could be here sharing this meal with us. So I promised to at least send her a picture. Love you Cecily, we wish you were here with us. You were missed.

Every Easter we eat lamb. Either rack or chops. Kono & K.C. are in charge and they have decided on chops this year which they are cooking on the bbq. Every once in a while we crave and appreciate the simplicity and wonderful natural flavors of a great grilled steak or chop. No sauce tonight, just grilled chops seasoned with kosher salt, black pepper and granulated garlic.

Kono chose oven roasted asparagus & fresh beets to accompany these perfectly cooked lamb chops.

Roasted vegetables are a great side dish that takes very little effort. Kono came back from the grocery store with a couple of fresh beets and a bunch of asparagus and I decided to simply roast them in the oven to accompany our grilled Easter lamb chops tonight. I precooked the beets so they would cook at the same time as the as the
asparagus.

So here was my contribution to our Easter dinner.

OVEN ROASTED ASPARAGUS WITH FRESH BEETS

Place the beets in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 20 minutes. For larger beets you may need to cook them for 30 minutes. Insert a knife in the beets after 20 minutes and if it goes in easily they are done. Drain water and let sit to cool. Trim the ends and scrape the skin off with a spoon or paring knife. It should slip off pretty easily. Cut into wedges and place on one side of a sheet pan.

Trim the bottoms of the asparagus by holding the middle and bending the bottom until it breaks. Trim all the stalks to that length. Rinse and place on the other side of the sheet pan.

Drizzle olive oil over the beets and asparagus and gently mix to coat evenly. Sprinkle kosher salt and black pepper over both vegetables.

Bake in a 400 degree oven for 10 - 15 minutes or until asparagus is tender.
Serve as is or with a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.