Lamb with Mint-Shallot Sauce

So apparently Michael and I were editing this at the same time and he 'accidentally' replaced my write-up. Anyways, I decided we would just have both :)

Michael:
This is the first post in a two-part meal it's a lamb chop with a mint shallot sauce. Super tasty. Cooking with lamb is all about your selection of meat. Above I used some lower-priced chop cuts that were a bit too marbled and more difficult to keep medium-rare. I would advise using a thicker lion chop, a little more expensive but well worth the finished product. Overall the mint sauce was excellent and I was careful to not over-cook the meat so it turned out very tender.

Me:
We used the thinner chops because they were on sale at Harris Teeter, but I think it would've been much tastier with some big thick pieces of meat :) Maybe next time. . . I've never cooked with mint jelly before, that stuff is interesting! Now we have a whole jar of mint jelly that I have no idea what to do with. Suggestions? Anyways, the mint flavor really does go well with the lamb, everything mixes quite nicely!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup apple juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch (which we still don't have, so substituted 1 tbsp. all-purpose flour)
• 8 lamb loin chops, trimmed of fat (about 1 1/2 pounds total)
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 teaspoon canola oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1/3 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
• 2 tablespoons mint jelly
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh mint, divided

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine apple juice and cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside.
2. Sprinkle lamb chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chops and cook until browned on one side, about 2 minutes.
   
3. Turn chops over and transfer the pan to the oven. Roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into a chop registers 140°F for medium-rare, 6 to 10 minutes, depending on the thickness. Transfer the chops to a plate and tent with foil.
4. Place the skillet over medium-high heat (take care, the handle will still be hot). Add shallot and cook, stirring constantly, until browned and softened, about 1 minute. Add broth, vinegar and jelly and bring to a boil, whisking to dissolve the jelly. Cook, whisking constantly, until the liquid has reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
   
5. Stir the cornstarch mixture; add to the pan and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, until the sauce is thickened, about 30 seconds.
   
6. Remove from the heat and stir in half the mint along with any accumulated juices from the chops. Serve the chops topped with the sauce and the remaining mint.