Moroccan Lamb Kebobs with Mint Dressing and Middle Eastern Yogurt Sauce

It's almost Easter!  Yay.  When I think Easter, I think roast lamb or honey-baked ham.   And Cadbury Mini Eggs, which are the best Easter candy ever.  If you have never had Cadbury Mini Eggs before I highly recommend running to the nearest Duane Reade (or Sam's Club, which is where my mom picked up the 36 oz package that she bought me) to pick some up.   Yum.  Anyway, I decided we should do some lamb kebobs in honor of Easter.  We obviously weren't going to roast a whole lamb leg or a honey-baked ham, so lamb kebobs seemed like a good compromise.  I found a recipe for a Moroccan leg of lamb with a Mint Dressing on the NY Times website so I stole the idea for the flavors of the lamb marinade and then made the Mint Dressing as written.  And then Alex decided to whip up a yogurt sauce (similar to a tzatziki, but without the cucumber).  So we ended up eating a dinner composed of store-bought pita, lamb kebobs with mint dressing and yogurt sauce, and a simple salad.  All things considered, it was pretty tasty.  My only complaint was actually with the Mint Dressing - which I found to be a little acidic/bitter.  I really wish that the flavor of the mint had dominated, but all I really tasted was red wine vinegar and shallot.  So I would probably cut back on the amount of vinegar and maybe up the amount of herbs - perhaps add in some cilantro?  I don't know.

Happy Easter everyone!

Recipes after the jump!

Moroccan Lamb Kebobs

INGREDIENTS:

1-2 lbs lamb shoulder (or leg of lamb), trimmed of fat and membrane and cut into 2-inch cubes

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 tbsp evoo

2 tbsp lemon juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tsp harissa

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp ground cumin

In a small bowl, combine s&p, evoo, lemon juice, garlic, harissa, coriander and cumin. Pour marinade over lamb in a resealable plastic bag and massage into the meat. Marinate in the refrigerator overnight (if you don't have the time to marinate overnight, just throw it in there for 2 hours).

Remove lamb from refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking.  Thread lamb onto skewers (if your skewers are wooden, remember to soak them for 30 minutes before using).  Preheat a grill or grill pan over moderately high heat.  Lightly coat grill or grill pan with evoo.  Grill lamb to desired doneness (about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare).

Serve with mint dressing and yogurt-sauce.

Mint Dressing

NY Times

INGREDIENTS: 

2 cups tightly packed mint leaves, washed and dried

2 tbsp chopped shallots

2 tsp red wine vinegar

½ cup fruity-tasting olive oil

1 small clove garlic, minced

½ tsp kosher salt, more to taste

Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

In a food processor, combine mint, shallots, vinegar, olive oil, garlic and salt until smooth. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

Middle Eastern Yogurt-Sauce

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup Greek yogurt (we used 2%)
1 to 2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
2 tsp lemon juice
2 scallions, minced
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper to taste 

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate 30 minutes to blend the flavors.