Oven-Roasted Minted Lamb Loin Chops Recipe

I bought some beautiful lamb loin chops at the store the other day and decided to put the mint plant on our deck to some use.  This recipe is super simple, flavorful, and is a great addition to our meat rotation.  These lamb chops go great with rice on the side.

Oven-Roasted Minted Lamb Loin Chops Recipe

1/4 cup olive oil
10 fresh mint leaves
6 lamb loin chops (1 1/4" thick)
Salt and pepper

Finely chop the mint leaves.  Put the lamb chops in a large Ziploc bag and pour the olive oil over them, then add the chopped mint, seal the bag, and move the lamb chops around inside the bag to fully coat them.  Let the lamb chops marinate in the bag for at least 30 minutes at room temperature before roasting (1 hour preferably).

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Heat a large cast iron skillet to High heat on the stove top and add the lamb chops in a single layer.  Generously salt and pepper them.  Sear them for about 3 minutes, then flip them over to sear the other side for about 3 minutes.  Turn off the stove top and use a large spoon to remove the excess oil from the skillet before moving it to the oven.  Transfer the skillet to the oven, uncovered, and roast the lamb chops for 10 minutes for medium-rare or 15 minutes for medium.  Let the lamb chops rest for 5 minutes before serving.  Serves 2-3 people as a main course.

Richard's Garlic-Free Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

Tzatziki sauce is a sauce that is traditionally made with yogurt, cucumber, and garlic that pairs very well with lamb, grilled meats, falafel, and on gyros.  I can't eat garlic, so we don't eat Greek food very often.  Luckily, Richard came up with a tzatziki sauce recipe that uses fresh mint to flavor the sauce in lieu of garlic (thank you!).  This tzatziki sauce is fabulous with my Lamb Burgers Recipe or Minted Lamb Morsels.  Pictured above is a lamb burger gyro with grilled flatbread, lamb burger, tomato, lettuce, and Richard's Garlic-Free Tzatziki Sauce.  So good!

Garlic-Free Tzatziki Sauce Recipe

2 - 6 oz. containers of plain Greek yogurt
1 medium cucumber
2 tbsp minced fresh mint leaves (about 15 leaves)
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Add the yogurt to a medium-sized mixing bowl.  Peel, de-seed, and dice up the cucumber into small cubes.  Mince about 15 fresh mint leaves.  Add the cucumber and mint to the bowl.  Next, add the juice of 1/2 a lemon (no seeds), the sea salt, and the pepper and use a small whisk to mix it all together until the yogurt is smooth.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 hours before serving.  Makes about 2 cups of tzatziki sauce.  Serve the sauce with lamb, grilled meat, gyros, falafel, grilled pita, fresh tomatoes, rice, or anything else you want a fresh-tasting cucumber sauce to accompany.  The sauce can be kept in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Lamb Burgers Recipe

We eat lamb every couple of weeks to mix up our proteins and have a special treat. We especially like these lamb burgers with the fresh mint from our deck. We eat our lamb burgers without a bun and with some dijon mustard on the side, although you can certainly eat them with your favorite toppings on a bun. Goat cheese, carmelized onions, and dijon mustard would be especially good on them. The lamb burger pictured is served with Cooked Lentils with Avocado Topping - a fantastic, protein-rich, gluten-free meal!

Lamb Burgers Recipe

1 lb fresh ground lamb
10 fresh mint leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper

Stack the mint leaves and mince them into very small pieces. Put the ground lamb in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over the lamb. Add the minced mint to the bowl. Remove your rings and use your hands to mix everything together. Divide the ground lamb into 4 equal pieces. Roll the pieces into balls and use the palms of your hands to flatten them into thin, round burgers.

Heat a grill pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to High heat. Add the lamb burgers. Salt and pepper to taste. Grill them for 5-6 minutes per side for a medium-well burger. Eat them by themselves with some dijon mustard, or put them on a bun with toppings like goat cheese, carmelized onions, and mustard. Makes 4, 1/4 lb lamb burgers.

Minted Lamb Morsels Recipe

We eat lamb once every couple of weeks or so. It's a nice change from chicken, beef, or fish. We have a mint plant on our deck, and I wanted a good use for the mint leaves, so I came up with this dish. The fresh mint really adds a nice flavor to the lamb. This lamb goes especially great served with wild rice, or Roasted Cauliflower, or Cooked Lentils with Avocado Topping.

Minted Lamb Morsels Recipe

3/4 to 1 lb boneless lamb leg
Olive oil
10 fresh mint leaves
Salt and pepper

Mince the fresh mint leaves. Cut the raw lamb meat into small bite-sized pieces, removing all of the fat. Put the lamb pieces and the mint into a medium-size mixing bowl and drizzle a little olive oil over it. Mix together the lamb, mint, and olive oil. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to cook it.

Spray a large non-stick skillet with cooking spray, heat it to High heat, and add the minted lamb. Add salt and pepper to taste, and saute the lamb until all of the pieces are cooked through and browned. This will take about 6 minutes. Serves 2 adults (and one small child).