grilled lamb chops with herby yogurt sauce

Lamb

Grilled Lamb Chops with Herby Yogurt Sauce

Plain yogurt is an excellent base for a marinade. It slowly tenderizes meat, rendering it juicy but never mealy or tough, and leaves a pleasantly tangy flavor behind. This simple sauce, a blend of yogurt, shallots, salt, and lemon, is a perfect match for lamb's richness. This recipe cleverly sets aside a portion of the seasoned yogurt to puree with tender green herbs and lemon juice for a quick finishing sauce after the lamb is done. Serve the lamb with a quick salad of couscous and cucumbers for a meal.

Ingredients

1 ½ cups plain whole-milk yogurt
1 tablespoon minced shallot (from 1 shallot)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
24 baby rib lamb chops (about 3 ounces each)
black pepper, to taste
1 cup packed mixed fresh tender herbs (such as parsley, dill, and mint leaves), plus more for serving
cooked couscous and sliced cucumbers, for serving

Directions

Stir together yogurt, shallot, salt, and lemon zest in a medium bowl. Measure 1 cup of the mixture into a large ziplock plastic bag. Cover and refrigerate remaining 1/2 cup yogurt mixture until ready to use. Add lamb chops to ziplock bag; seal bag, and turn to coat lamb in sauce. Let marinate in refrigerator at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours.
Preheat grill to high (450°F to 500°F). Scrape off excess marinade from lamb, and discard remaining marinade in bag. Sprinkle chops evenly with salt and pepper to taste. Arrange chops on oiled grill grates; grill, covered, turning once or twice, until browned and a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of meat registers 135°F for medium-rare, about 6 minutes, or to desired degree of doneness. Transfer chops to a platter; let rest 5 minutes.
Transfer reserved yogurt mixture to a food processor. Add fresh herbs and lemon juice; pulse until smooth, about 20 pulses. Serve chops alongside sauce, cooked couscous, cucumbers, and additional herbs.