This coming Easter holiday season, if you’re looking for recipes that seem extra special but don’t take hours to prepare, you’ll love this recipe. Lamb chops seem like a fancy special-occasion dinner entree, but in reality they take under 10 minutes to prepare, and if you do the math, may cost less than take-out! These chops are quickly seared in a hot pan, then topped with a curried peanut sauce. Try French-cut chops, which still have their long, handle-like bone, if you want to make lamb “popsicles” to serve at parties (serve the peanut sauce alongside for dipping); if they’re destined for dinner, serve chops with rice or potatoes and a side of something green – sauteed spinach or kale, broccoli, asparagus or green beans.

This creamy soup starts off life with the fragrant aroma of an Indian potato curry. With the help of a little extra stock and a generous helping of peanut butter, it’s transformed into a velvety potage that coats your tongue with a flood of umami.

For those of you looking at this skeptically, possibly even picturing a salty peanut butter sandwich, purge that image from your head. Like a cello in an orchestra, there’s enough peanut butter in here to add some wonderful body and richness complementing the smoky stock, but not enough to be called out as an individual component by all but the most refined palette.

Despite having layer upon layer of complex flavors, this soup is super easy to prepare and reheats well, making it a perfect first course when you’re having guests over.

I like a lot of heat in my food, so I added a jalapeno as well as the spicy The Heat is On peanut butter, but if you like things a little milder just omit the jalapeno and replace the spicy peanut butter with some Smooth Operator.

I love Massaman Curry because it’s super easy to make and it just gets more flavorful with time. Sometimes I’ll make an extra big batch to ensure that I’ll have leftovers that I can whip into a pot pie. Traditional Massaman Curry has potato chunks, but with this recipe the potatoes take the form of a hearty mashed potato topping. The creamy mashed potatoes and richly peanutty curry make for a great twist on a classic cold-weather meal that’s both quick and intensely satisfying.