Herb-Marinated Lamb Chops with Grilled Vegetables

Marinated in rosemary, mint and thyme, and served with a minty yogurt sauce, these flame-roasted lamb chops make a great centerpiece for any special occasion. Peppers, carrots, bush beans and potatoes — all grilled on a cast-iron grizzler — round out this dish from German food blogger and digital creator Claudia Kratz of Recipe Love (@rezept_liebe). 

This recipe looks impressive on a dinner table (especially at Easter), but it’s deceptively easy. Lamb chops marinate with herbs, sea salt, olive oil, and lemon juice for an hour in the refrigerator; minty yogurt dip comes together in minutes, and par-baked vegetables only cook for about fifteen minutes. While it’s no thirty-minute meal, this showstopper is simple to make. 

When it comes to the ingredients, it’s also accessible, relying mostly on seasonal vegetables — like bush beans and pointed peppers — and meat. Other ingredients, like yogurt, lemon juice and baby carrots, are easy to find all year round.

The non-negotiables? High-quality lamb and fresh herbs. A great lamb chop starts at the butcher’s shop, and a stellar marinade and dipping sauce both begin with excellent herbs. 

Why not try this out at your Easter celebration or a spring dinner party? 

Notes: If you don’t have pointed peppers easily available, bell peppers will work instead.

Time
90 minutes (active), 1 hour (passive)

Yield
6 lamb chops

Equipment

sheet pan
Ooni pizza oven 
Ooni Dual-Sided Grizzler Plate 
grill tongs
stockpot

Ingredients

For the lamb:
6 lamb chops
1 large sprig of rosemary
5 mint leaves
2 sprigs of thyme
4 tablespoons (60 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil
Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 tablespoon, or 15 milliliters)
Zest of ½ lemon (about ½ tablespoon, or 7.5 milliliters)
1 ½ teaspoon (7 grams) sea salt
½ teaspoon (1 gram) cumin

For the mint yogurt:
1 ¼ cups (300 grams) yogurt
1 clove (6 grams) of garlic, pressed, grated, or finely minced
9 fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
Juice of ½ lemon (about 1 tablespoon, or 15 milliliters)
1 teaspoon (4 grams) sugar
½  teaspoon (3 grams) salt
Pinch of black pepper
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil

For the grilled vegetables:
4 (500 grams) small potatoes
15-20 (180 grams) baby carrots
30 (150 grams) bush bean or green bean pods 
¾ (120 grams) of a red pointed pepper, Kapia pepper or bell pepper
¾ (120 grams) of a green pointed pepper, Kapia pepper, or bell pepper
½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt
¼ teaspoon (½ gram) black pepper
1 tablespoon (15 milliliters) extra-virgin olive oil for the grill pan

Method: 

Marinate the lamb
Spread out the lamb chops side by side on a sheet pan or plate. Then, finely chop the rosemary, mint and thyme. In a small bowl, mix the chopped herbs with the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt and cumin. Rub both sides of the chops with the marinade and let them sit in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour.

Prepare the mint yogurt 
Place the yogurt in a bowl, then add the garlic, chopped mint, lemon, sugar, salt, pepper and extra-virgin olive oil. Whisk or stir to combine. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then refrigerate the mint yogurt until you’re ready to use it. The yogurt can be made up to two hours ahead of time. 

Prepare the vegetables 
Bring the potatoes to a boil in a large pot of salted water and simmer at medium heat for 10 minutes. Remove the potatoes (reserving the water and keeping it at a simmer), and when they’re cool enough, cut them in half and set them aside. 

Trim the ends off the beans. Add the beans and the baby carrots to the simmering water and cook over medium heat for 7 minutes, then drain and reserve the vegetables. 

Cut the pointed peppers in half lengthwise, remove the seeds and cut in half lengthwise again. 

To assemble and cook
Remove the lamb from the refrigerator ½ hour before cooking, cover it with a kitchen towel, and let it rest at room temperature.

Preheat your Ooni pizza oven to about 575°F (300°C). Use an infrared thermometer to quickly and accurately check the temperature of the stone. Brush the dual-sided grizzler with oil and place it in the oven to heat up.

When the dual-sided grizzler reaches temp, take it out of the oven and spread the potatoes, carrots, beans, and peppers onto it. Then, place it back into the oven. Bake the vegetable medley for about 15 minutes, turning carefully every 5 minutes. Remove the vegetables from the oven and place them on a large serving dish. Season them with salt and pepper, stirring to coat the mixture evenly.

Next, place the lamb chops on the dual-sided grizzler and grill for 2-3 minutes per side for medium-rare, 3-4 minutes per side for medium, and 5 minutes per side for well done. If you’re checking with a meat thermometer, you’ll want to take your chops off the griddle at 135˚F (57˚C) for medium-rare, 150˚F (65˚C) for medium and 160˚F (71˚C) for well done. 

If you’d like to serve your vegetables hot, remove the lamb chops, place the vegetables back on the dual-sided grizzler and cook for roughly two minutes. 

Place the lamb chops on top of the grilled vegetables and serve them with the mint dip.