Description
Harissa Grilled Lamb Chops with Harissa Yogurt and summer veggies- a simple easy meal, perfect for summer entertaining!
Ingredients
Units
- 2–3 lbs lamb chops, lamb loin chops or sirloin steaks. ( see notes)
- Grillable veggies – your choice of Zucchini, summer squash, bell pepper, onion, eggplant, mushrooms, etc.
- spray olive oil ( or use regular)
- 15–20 fresh Mint leaves
Harissa Spice Rub:
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 1 tablespoon coriander
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon dried mint
- 1 teaspoon whole caraway seeds (optional)
Harissa Yogurt Sauce:
- 3/4 cup plain, full-fat Greek yogurt
- 1/4 cup tahini paste
- 1–2 tablespoons harissa paste (store-bought or homemade Harissa paste) more to taste
- 2 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika – optional
Serve with Grilled Veggies and your choice of grain, quinoa, basmati rice or couscous.
Garnish: a few torn fresh mint leaves and/or Italian parsley leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the Grill to med-high.
- Prep Lamb. Cut lamb chops into single chops or portions. ( Use a sharp chef’s knife and slice in between the bones.) Cut off any excess fat. Pat dry.
- Make Harissa Spice Rub. Mix spices and salt together in a shallow bowl ( big enough to fit the chops) and set aside.
- Dip both sides of each lamb chop, as well as fatty edge, into the Harissa rub, tap the excess off and place on a sheet pan. Or feel free to just sprinkle generously.
- Make the harissa yogurt Sauce. Mix the yogurt with tahini paste, garlic, salt, optional smoked paprika and the harissa paste, starting conservatively, adding more harissa paste to taste. Each Harissa paste has different levels of heat. This would also be good without the harissa paste. 🙂
- Grill: If grilling veggies, lightly toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and grill these first. Cover, set aside until serving. Grill the lamb chops. Spray the grill with olive oil spray. Place the chops down and grill 3 minutes (covered) or until good grill marks appear. (Don’t fiddle with them too much). Spray the top of lamb chops with spray olive oil, and turn them over. Turn the heat down to medium and grill another 3 minutes. Then, place the fatty edge of the lamb chop on the grill, so they are sitting upright, on their side, leaning them up against each other. ( See picture). Cover, and cook another 2 minutes or so, to melt off that fatty layer. (These are delicious served medium-rare, but feel free to cook through on lower heat if that is your preference. ) Remove from grill, cover with foil until ready to serve.
- To serve, cut the grilled veggies into bite-size pieces, and place them on a platter. Top with the grilled lamb chops. Garnish with fresh mint leaves. Serve the Harissa yogurt sauce on the side or spoon a little on each chop, or spread it out on a plate with everything layered on top.
Notes
Leftovers will keep up to 4 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
Serve with a cooked grain like quinoa, basmati rice or even couscous. I used Israeli couscous in the photos
If serving with a cooked grain, make sure to season it. ( Olive oil, salt, pepper, lemon zest, and fresh parsley is nice.) You could serve it on the same platter, underneath the veggies and lamb, or serve it on the side.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 chops
- Calories: 486
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 797.6 mg
- Fat: 18.8 g
- Saturated Fat: 8.3 g
- Carbohydrates: 10.7 g
- Fiber: 2.8 g
- Protein: 70.2 g
- Cholesterol: 178.6 mg