Recipes

One of my favorite take-out meals in Salt Lake City is Greek Souvlaki from The Other Place. While traditionally made with pork, I adapted a Souvlaki recipe for lamb. This recipe is easy to prepare and can be made on a grill, in an oven, or over an open flame. Serve with lemon rice, flatbread, olives, tomatoes, and cucumbers. 

Ingredients:

• 4 pounds boneless leg of lamb*
• 3 red, orange, or yellow bell peppers
• 1 red onion
• 1/4 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• Ingredients for Marinade:
• 1/2  cup olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2  teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

      * Kabob cubes and boneless shoulder are acceptable substitutes.

Ingredients for Yogurt Sauce:

• 2 cups plain Greek yogurt
• Juice from 1 lemon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 ounces Feta, crumbled

Instructions:

• Remove the netting from the leg of lamb. Unroll the leg and flatten it out. Trim the leg to remove any large pieces of fat or connective tissue. Cut the leg of lamb into 2” cubes.
• In a bowl, whisk the marinade ingredients.
• Add the lamb cubes to the marinade and refrigerate for at least two hours or up to overnight. (Note: If using lamb shoulder or kabob cubes, extend marinade to at least eight hours or overnight to promote tenderness.)
• If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least an hour.
• Cut bell peppers and onions into 1”x2” strips.
• For the yogurt sauce, whisk together all of the ingredients until smooth.
• When ready to cook the lamb, heat the grill to medium-high heat (about 400°F).
• Load the skewers, alternating lamb cubes and vegetables. Leave about 1” of the end of the skewer exposed for grabbing.
• Cook each skewer for about 5 minutes, then flip it over and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 140°F.
• Spread a large spoonful of sauce on each plate, arrange the lamb cubes on the sauce, and garnish with fresh mint. Accompaniments could include cucumber salad, grilled tomatoes, olives, or flatbread.

Whole Roast Variation:

• To prepare this recipe for a whole roast, rather than kabob cubes, begin by removing the netting from the leg of lamb. Unroll the leg and flatten it out on your work surface. Trim away any large pieces of fat or connective tissue. Then, butterfly the leg by slicing into the thickest pieces of the leg and spreading the pieces apart (like butterfly wings). Use a kitchen mallet to pound out the leg until it is of uniform thickness - around 2 ½” thick.
• Prepare the marinade mixture as above. Then place the lamb in a bowl or bag along with the mixture and allow it to marinate overnight.
• Omit the bell pepper and red onion.
• Prepare the yogurt sauce, as described above.
• When you are ready to cook the lamb, heat the grill to medium heat (about 375°F). When the grill is hot, turn off one of the burners (or move the charcoals to one side) to leave a flame-free area for the lamb. Place the lamb on the unlit portion of the grill with the fat-side down. Close the lid and monitor closely to make sure flares are not burning the meat. If you are getting flares, open the lid briefly or reduce the heat. After 10 minutes, turn the leg of lamb over. Adjust the burners, if necessary, to keep a temperature of about 375°F. Continue cooking the lamb for another 20 minutes. Remove from the grill when the internal temperature reaches 135°F. Rest for at least 7 minutes before slicing. 

Indoor Variations:

• Rangetop. Prepare the kabob cubes, marinade and sauce as described above, When you reach the cooking step, rather than heating the grill, heat a rangetop griddle to medium-high heat. Coat the hot griddle lightly with olive oil. Cook the skewers for about 8-10 minutes, turning every 2-3 minutes, to achieve an internal temperature of 140°F.
• Broiler. Prepare the kabob cubes, marinade and sauce as described above, When you reach the cooking step, rather than heating the grill, turn the broiler to 500°F, and allow it to heat for about five minutes. Place the skewers on a broiling pan or baking sheet. Place the pan 3 inches under the broiler. After 5 minutes, remove the pan from the broiler, turn the skewers, and return to the broiler for another 5 minutes. The skewers are done when the cubes reach an internal temperature of 140°F.
• Whole Leg in Oven. Follow the whole roast variation instructions above until you come to the instruction to heat the grill. At that point, preheat the oven to 420°F. Place the leg of lamb in a roasting pan or on a foil-lined baking sheet. Place the pan in the oven. After 10 minutes, reduce the oven heat to 375°F. Continue to cook the lamb for approximately 20-30 minutes until it reaches an internal temperature of 135°F. Rest for 7-10 minutes before slicing.