The weather this weekend was perfect for grilling. With company coming over for an early dinner, I felt the urge to try something new. I completely stepped out of my comfort zone and tried cooking lamb for the first time. Big risk, big reward. This meal was a huge hit!
Although this was my first attempt at cooking lamb, I am actually a big fan of this delicious meat. I remember my mom cooking lamb chops as a kid. I love ordering lamb shanks at my favorite greek restaurant. But my husband has always been hesitant about trying lamb. However, a few months back, after being served lamb at a friend’s house for dinner, he quickly became a fan.
This dish is great because it is super quick and easy. The hardest part is making sure you have enough time to marinate the meat. So planning ahead is key. But the good news is that the marinade does all the hard work, leaving the meat sweet, tender and delicious.
Ingredients
1/4 cup chopped mint, plus more for garnish
1 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dry mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
8 lamb loin chops
Cooking spray
Preparation
Combine first 7 ingredients in a small bowl, stirring well. Place lamb in a single layer in a shallow dish; rub spice mixture evenly over both sides of lamb. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
Prepare grill.
Place lamb on a grill rack coated with cooking spray. Grill 4 minutes in each side or until desired degree of doneness. Garnish with fresh mint. Serve immediately.
Recipe slightly adapted from Cooking Light via MyRecipes.com
I served the lamb with a side of couscous and grilled veggies. It was the perfect way to round out the meal. I chose to garnish the lamb with some freshly chopped mint to help bring out the flavors of the marinade. Plus, you can never have enough mint in my book.
As we move into the warmer months, I have a feeling we will be doing a lot more grilling. And after the success of this lamb dish, I think we will be adding this new protein into our rotation.
Your turn: Are you a lamb fan? What are some of your favorite ways to prepare it? Looking forward to some delicious recipes :)
We have a local farmer who is selling lamb and I’ve been trying to figure out how to cook it. This looks lovely!! What kind of mint did you use?
Thank you! I used some fresh mint I found growing in my garden. Not quite sure which it was exactly because it was a plant leftover from the previous owner. But I think any mint will do. I hope you enjoy it :) Let me know what you think!
Will do–thanks!
We got some lamb in our local food share and I haven’t cooked it yet– this recipe sounds delicious to me, though, so this will likely be it.
Thank you! I think you are going to enjoy it :) Wish I had some fresh lamb…probably takes this dish to a whole new level of goodness :)
Lovely use of previous owner’s mint ;)
Thanks! Gotta love the hand me downs :)
Mmm… I was just thinking about how it’s been at least five years since I’ve cooked lamb. My husband isn’t crazy about it. He’ll always try it and can appreciate when it’s well-prepared, but it just doesn’t work with his palate. I’m thinking I need to sneak over and cook it for my parents sometime soon when he isn’t around! :)
Hope you get a chance to try them out. And you never know…you might just make your hubby a believer! If anything can change his mind, it would be this recipe :)
I’ve never actually tried cooking lamb but the flavors in this recipe sound great! Pinning!!
Thanks for joining in this week :)
My husband is not usually a fan of lamb but he LOVED this recipe! Let me know what you think :) Thanks for hosting!