AEI Corporation

Bring Back The Romance Of Outdoor Grilling With This Valentine's Day Recipe

Posted: February 12, 2021 at 10:31 AM

6 minute read | Recipe

When Valentine's Day arrives on Sunday, Feb. 14, people around the world will celebrate the most puzzling holiday ever invented. If we take a long look at the tradition of recognizing a loving relationship, it may be time to pivot away from fattening heart-shaped chocolates and do some serious barbecuing on a PGS Grill instead. After all, the history of Valentine’s Day is just a perplexing as its Modern Day traditions.

Consider, if you will, that Valentine’s Day started as a Christian feast honoring the deaths of at least one martyr named Saint Valentine. The Feast of Saint Valentine’s Day began in AD 496, and no records indicate anything about chocolate, expensive roses, or doing anything but grilling outdoors.

It wasn’t until about the 15th Century that someone altered this day of cooking choice cuts of beef, lamb, and veggies over an open fire to whispering sweet nothings in each other’s ear and loading up with empty calories. No one really knows who changed the Valentine’s Day trajectory, but we can rest assured it was not an outdoor grill enthusiast. That being said, let 2021 be the year that we restore the earliest traditions by preparing a proper Valentine’s Day recipe, such as grilled lamb chops with grilled rosemary red potatoes.

Garlic & Mint Grilled Lamb Chops

Lamb chops rank among the most tender cuts of meat that a propane grill lover could desire. When grilled to perfection, the juices are locked in, and the seasoning makes your taste buds say ooh-la-la. But you have to be careful with lamb chops because they play the seasoning field and can break your heart. They are happy to date thyme, oregano, garlic, and rosemary, among many others. It’s as if lamb chops never swipe left on their Tinder accounts. This grilled lamb chop recipe super-likes garlic and mint.

Gather These Ingredients For The Lamb Chops

• 1/3 Cup of Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ Cup of Chopped Mint Leaves
• 3 Cloves of Garlic (Minced)
• ½ Teaspoon of Black Pepper
• Sea Salt
• 10 Petite Rib Lamb Chops (2 Pounds)

How To Prepare Lamb Chops

Start by preheating your stainless steel PGS Grill to medium heat. In a wide bowl, pour in the olive oil, mint, and black pepper. Place the minced garlic cloves on a separate bowl and rub each lamb chop thoroughly in the garlic. Place the lamb chops on a flat area and brush them with mint oil on both sides. Before transferring them to the liquid propane grill, dash each one lightly with sea salt.

Lamb chops, like love interests, tend to be delicate in some ways. Only char each side for 3-4 minutes. Only flip the chops once. The final chops should enjoy a slight firmness and give a little. They are considered the most flavorful when prepared medium-rare. After removing the perfectly grilled chops, brush lightly with the mint oil and serve warm.

Creating a meal worthy of your heart’s desire requires commingling flavors between the lamb chops and potatoes. This meal relies on garlic to bring the seemingly estranged parties together. If your significant other doesn’t share your enthusiasm for meat and potatoes instead of chocolate truffles, trying to put the lamb chop bones back-to-back so they form a heart.

We digress, back to the potatoes.

Gather These Ingredients For The Grilled Rosemary Potatoes

• 1 Pound of Potatoes Sliced into 1-Inch Thicknesses
• 1 Yellow Onion Diced into Small Pieces
• 5 Peeled and Chopped Garlic Cloves
• 2 Teaspoons of Crushed Rosemary
• 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
• ½ Teaspoon of Black Pepper
• 1 Teaspoon of Paprika
• 1 ½ Tablespoons of Virgin Olive Oil
• Aluminum Foil

How To Prepare Rosemary Potatoes

Set your outdoor patio grill to a medium temperature. Take a large bowl and pour in the olive oil, garlic, onion, paprika, black pepper, and salt. Mix thoroughly and then integrate the potatoes. Once they are fully oiled and seasoned, sprinkle and stir in the rosemary.

Make two 24-inch lengths of aluminum foil and form a T by overlapping them. Place the seasoned potatoes in the center and wrap them tightly in the foil. It’s essential to fold or pinch the aluminum foil tight so that the juices do not escape. Take a third length of foil and wrap it around to ensure the contents are secure. Place the foil on the grates with the pinched seams up. Let it grill for about 20 minutes. Gently flip the foil package over and let it grill for an additional 15-20 minutes. Turn the aluminum foil to its original position and open it with care. Keep in mind a cloud of hot steam will rise quickly. So, exercise caution.

When checking the potatoes, they should be tender to a fork and have a slight brown color. If you reseal the foil, the potatoes typically stay warm for about 10 minutes. You can also put them in a pot on a side burner or a PGS Grill warming rack as needed.

Complete The Valentine's Day Recipe with Mint Sauce

To say backyard chefs can get carried away and see the value of all things grilled would be something of an understatement. Let’s say — just for argument’s sake — that your life partner is not head-over-heels in love with the idea of outdoor grilling over a fancy restaurant. On the remote chance, this might be true, and you need to amp-up your Valentine's Day recipe game with something sweet. Homemade mint sauce delivers the personal touch and sweetness that will prevent you from sleeping next to your patio grill until Monday morning.

Gather These Ingredients

• ¼ Cup of Finely Diced Mint Leaves
• ¼ Cup of Boiling Water
• 1 ½ Tablespoons of Cider Vinegar
• 3 Tablespoons of Sugar
• 1/3 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

How To Prepare Mint Sauce

Place the sugar and mint leaves in a small serving bowl. Pour in boiling water and stir until sugar dissolves. Add all the other ingredients and stir thoroughly. Cover the bowl and allow it to steep for about 20 minutes. Present the mint sauce warm with a small but fancy serving spoon. Your beloved can spread the warm mint sauce over the succulent lamb chops over loving glances.

If you want to restore the time-honored tradition of the Valentine’s Day feast, keep in mind that your love interest is probably used to sweets and treats. Remember to include a formal table setting, a floral bouquet, and mention this is an entirely homemade meal. The lamb chops and rosemary potatoes will be delicious, but the mint sauce could be the Cupid’s arrow that leads to post-grilling romance.