PREP: Mise the recipe ahead of time.

1. Make the garlic oil:

• Mince the step 1 garlic and place it in a container.
• Add the oil and stir in the salt.
• If prepping ahead, cover the container and refrigerate.

2. Trim and marinate the lamb chops:

• Mince the step 2 garlic and place it in a flat container just large enough to hold the lamb chops.
• Use a swivel peeler to remove a strip of the lemon’s yellow zest. Mince the zest and add to the container. Squeeze the lemon juice into the container.
• Remove the leaves from the oregano sprigs and chop them. Add the chopped oregano to the container along with the salt and oil, and then stir to combine.
• Trim off any excess fat from the edges of the chops, leaving a little less than ¼ inch of fat surrounding the eye meat. Use the tip of a sharp knife to make one or two very shallow cuts just through the connective tissue between the fat and the eye. Don’t cut into the meat.
• Place the chops in the marinade and turn to coat. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 24 hours. Cut the mozzarella into thin slices, yielding at least 4 slices per person. If prepping ahead, place in a container and refrigerate.

3. If necessary, clean the salad greens:

• Separate the lettuce leaves from the heads and/or remove the arugula’s thick stems.
• Rinse off any visible soil from the salad green leaves under cold running water.
• Place a bowl in the sink and fill with cold water. Immerse the leaves in the water and soak for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Lift the greens out of the water and into a colander to drain.
• Lay out one or more clean, dry towels on the work surface and spread out the leaves in a single layer. Roll up the leaves in the towel and refrigerate.
• If prepping ahead, transfer the greens to plastic bag with a folded paper towel in the bottom, and seal shut.

HOLD: Refrigerate all ingredients except the lamb chops, tomatoes, and bread up to 3 days.  If holding the marinated lamb chops longer than 24 hours, remove the chops from the marinade and hold chops and marinade separately up to 3 days.  Hold the tomatoes at cool room temperature; avoid refrigerating them unless they are getting overripe and too soft. Hold the bread at room temperature or freeze.

COOK! Finish and plate your dinner.

4. Peel, slice, and blot the tomatoes:

• Bring at least 2 qt water to the boil and place a bowl in the sink. Start a stream of cold water running into the bowl.
• Separately blanch each tomato for 10 seconds or slightly longer, just enough to loosen the skin, but keeping the tomato flesh raw. Use a “spider” strainer or slotted spoon to remove each tomato from the water and into the bowl. Refresh for at least 1 minute.
• Remove the tomatoes from the water and blot them dry.
• Cut out the stem and core of each tomato, and then slip off the skins.
• Prepare a triple layer of paper towels large enough to accommodate the tomatoes, when sliced, in one layer.
• Cut the tomatoes into slices a little more than ¼-inch thick.
• Place the tomatoes on the paper towels in a single layer and sprinkle lightly and evenly with salt.
• Place a triple layer of paper towels on top of the tomatoes and gently press down on them.
• After about 5 minutes, flip over the tomatoes in their towels. Remove the top layer of towels and sprinkle the tomatoes with a little more salt. Top with a fresh, dry, triple layer of towels and press gently. Drain for 5 minutes longer, and then flip over.
• Depending on the juiciness of the tomatoes you may need to repeat pressing and flipping, using yet another layer of towels. (When the tomatoes are adequately drained, the towels will be damp but not wet.)

5. Preheat an oven to 425°F.

6. Crisp the bread:

• Place the ciabatta bread in the oven and crisp it for about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature and place in a napkin-lined basket.

7. Set up your grilling station:

• Preheat a gas or charcoal grill to high setting. Assemble your equipment mise-en-place for grilling: tongs, basting brush, and a tray lined with aluminum foil.

8. Coarse-chop the basil and stir it into the garlic oil.

9. Plate the caprese salads:

• In each wide, shallow bowl or high-rimmed plate, arrange half the tomato slices and mozzarella slices in a circular pattern, alternating the colors, toward the left front of the plate.
• Stir the garlic-basil oil to distribute the ingredients throughout, and then spoon it over the ingredients in each plate.
• After about 5 minutes, tilt each plate, use a spoon to scoop up the oil from the edge, and baste the tomatoes and mozzarella by drizzling the oil back over top. Continue basting as time allows.

10. Grill the lamb chops:

• Lift each chop out of the marinade and allow the excess to drain off. Place the chops on the grill grids and grill for about 1 minute.
• Turn over the chops and baste with a little marinade. Grill for about 1 minute longer depending on their thickness. Use the chef’s “touch test” (explained in the lesson section of this post) to determine doneness: rare to medium-rare recommended.
• Transfer the chops to the tray and wrap loosely with the foil to keep warm.

11. Finish plating:

• Make a bouquet out of each portion of salad greens and plant them upright in the back right of each bowl or plate.
• Arrange the chops in an overlapping arc on top of the caprese salad and propped against the greens.
• Serve the bread in the basket.