Lamb Skewers With Spicy Yogurt Dressing

currybunny's Note:

Zaar World Tour 05 posting. The Lamb Skewers with Spicy Yogurt Dressing from Oberon are based on a family recipe given to owner and host Zoran Matulic by his mother, who lives in the coastal town of Split in what is now Croatia. This recipe has it all: The lamb skewers are easy to assemble ahead and are perfect for outdoor grilling. The ground lamb mixture is stirred together the day before and allowed to rest. The chile-mint yogurt sauce can also be made ahead to blend the flavors, or it can be made at the last minute, depending on the cook's schedule. When it's time to serve, the host only needs to form the meat into logs, thread the skewers and quickly cook the meat. The combination of sweet onions, scallions, and garlic bring out a sweet intensity in the lamb.

• Total Time: 40 mins
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

Lamb Skewers

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium onions , finely diced
• 1 lb ground lamb
• 2 scallions , minced (white part only)
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 1 tablespoon fresh mint , minced
• 1 ½ teaspoons salt
• ½ teaspoon ground pepper

Spicy Yoghurt Dressing

• 2 cups plain yogurt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh mint
• salt and pepper , to taste

Directions:

1. The day before serving, heat the olive oil in a sauté pan over low heat. Add the onions and cook slowly until translucent, about 30 minutes. Drain any excess oil.
2. Break the ground lamb up into a bowl. Add the onions, scallions, garlic, mint, salt, and pepper. Mix well. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
3. When ready to serve, soak 16 six-inch wooden skewers in water for 30 minutes. (This helps prevent the skewers from burning on the grill.) Preheat a grill (high heat).
4. Divide the lamb mixture into 16 equal pieces. Shape each piece into a 1-inch diameter log, approximately 3-inches long. Thread each piece lengthwise onto a skewer.
5. Grill lamb to medium rare, turning once, about 5 minutes. Serve with Spicy Yogurt Dressing.
6. To make the dressing: Mix the yogurt, cayenne, and mint in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature with the lamb skewers.

Reviews

[pwdcrazy]

Very tasty. I tried it with beef, as I didn't have lamb, and it was still very taste. The yoghurt dressing was excellent too.

[Red Dog]

Easy to make and very tasty! We had it with warm Indian naan bread. Generally we have to tweak recipes to our taste, but this one was good just as it was!

[Chef Kate]

Really delicious and fun! The skewers workered beautifully and the sauce was an excellent complement to the meat.