Grilled Lamb with Mint Marinade and lemon onions is a real crowd pleaser. This tangy, tender, succulent lamb disappeared quickly at our house!
Things are finally settling down here, with lots of company behind us. When having so many, it’s nice to have a few easy dishes up your sleeve. Zoe requested lamb and being the mother that I am, I tried to make her happy. I knew Manservant would be happy because I don’t cook meat often, since I haven’t eaten it in over 11 years. I used to love lamb and often made it for dinner parties. Everyone always loves it and it is so easy to prepare. For some reason many people are afraid of making lamb, but it just isn’t that tough, people!
My father devoured this lamb. He always loved grilled food and especially meat. He even made some for lunch the next day. How nice to make people happy. We took some of the reserved marinade, brushed it on some naan bread, threw on some slices of lamb and some feta and placed it in the toaster oven to heat. Then we added more of the savory lemony onions which work so well with this dish. Perfect leftovers! But now my toaster oven just died and I need recommendations for a new one. Really. I loved my toaster oven.
Now I’m off to Phoenix to celebrate my father’s coming to America! My brother decided to do a party last minute to surprise him. (Really, it was last minute because I just booked my ticket a week ago.) I never remember him talking about this when I was a kid, but in 1938 he boarded the good ship Normandie and sailed with his family to Ellis Island. They were lucky. One year later every Jew in his village was dead. Yes, 80 years ago this month my dad was 6 1/2 years old and came to America. What a story.
But that will have to wait, because I must catch a plane. Enjoy this lamb!
More lamb dishes:
Lamb Souvlaki with Tzatziki from Saving Room for Dessert
Lamb Shanks with Artichoke Caponata from Recipe Girl
Grilled Icelandic Lamb Chops
A Great Salad:
Sugared Almonds and Mandarin Orange Green Salad
And a great dessert:
Chocolate Sandwich Cake with Cream Filling
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Grilled Lamb with Mint Marinade and Lemon Onions is tender, succulent and easy to prepare. And delicious. Did I say delicious?
Ingredients
2 lemons
2 medium red onions, peeled
1/8 t cayenne pepper, plus more for sprinkling
1/3 c plain yogurt, plus more for serving
1/3 c fresh mint leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish
6 garlic cloves
1 small jalapeno, seeded if needed
1/2 t black pepper
1 boneless, butterflied leg of lamb, about 5-6 lbs
Flaky sea salt
Instructions
Grate the zest from one of the lemons and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Place zest into a blender. Cut the other lemon into wedges and save for serving.
Cut one onion into wedges, put into a blender and add lemon zest. Halve remaining onion and slice it thinly. Rinse well with cold water in a sieve. Place in small bowl with lemon juice. Sprinkle lightly with salt, sugar, and cayenne. Toss and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or until serving.
Add yogurt, mint, cilantro, garlic, black pepper, 2 1/2 t kosher salt and 1/8 t cayenne. Blend until smooth.
Prepare lamb by removing from mesh. It should already be butterflied and unfold. Pour marinade, (I reserved some for serving) into a large zip-lock bag and add lamb making sure it is well covered. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Heat grill. Wipe off most of the marinade from lamb with paper towels. Grill until a meat thermometer registers 115 degrees for rare and 125 for medium, about 6 – 15 minutes per side, depending on how thick the lamb is and how well you like it cooked. I do not recommend cooking it more than medium. The nice thing about lamb is that because it is not of an even thickness, when you grill it, there are some areas that are rare and others that are more cooked. This way there is something for everyone’s tastes. If the meat starts to char before it’s done, move to a cooler part of the grill.
Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil, letting lamb rest for 10 minutes, before slicing. Spoon any juices over the top. Sprinkle with sea salt, mint leaves and lemon wedges. If you reserved some of the sauce, drizzle that over the top along with the lemon onions. (Drain juice from the onions!)
Keywords: lamb, grilled food, meat, pickled onions, mint marinade
7 Comments
Liz
August 9, 2018 at 3:22 amOh, my gosh, what a reason to celebrate!! Brings chills up and down my spine!! P.S. The lamb looks incredible—and loving those lemon onions, too!
angiesrecipes
August 9, 2018 at 4:25 amThe lamb slices look incredible and I love the presentation too. Have a great time in Phoenix !
John / Kitchen Riffs
August 9, 2018 at 7:51 amLamb might be my favorite red meat. I think people get weirded out about lamb because they don’t want to carve a leg of it. But when it’s boned and butterflied like this, it’s easy. Neat preparation — I love grilling lamb. And have a great time in Phoenix! That’s something to celebrate. 🙂
Tricia @ Saving Room for Dessert
August 9, 2018 at 4:59 pmGorgeous lamb Abbe – I really would love to try it. And I also want to hear a lot more about your dad’s story. Blessing to you and your family!
Mimi
August 10, 2018 at 3:48 pmBeautiful. I had no idea you were a vegetarian! I made your potatoes with ancho chile peppers finally! it’s so good. It’s not as pretty because I had to use a couple of zucchini as well – I have them coming out of my ears! But the potato dish is fabulous! Thanks for the recipe!
Juliana
August 13, 2018 at 1:14 pmI love lamb, and your sure sounds and looks delicious Abbe…I love the idea oa marinating with mint as I have lots of it in my garden…I would love to hear more about your father’s story…very touching…
Enjoy your time in Phoenix!
Susan
August 13, 2018 at 3:46 pmOh my gosh, thank heavens your father was able to make it to America! I would love to hear more about the story also. I love lamb, especially when it’s grilled. Have a great time at the celebration and I hope it’s not too hot in Phoenix 🙂