Charred Lamb and Eggplant With Date-Yogurt Chutney
- Total Time
- 1 hour
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
- ¾cup plain yogurt
- 1teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2½teaspoons lemon juice
- 2fat garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 8tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
- 1pound boneless leg of lamb, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1¾teaspoons kosher salt
- 1¼teaspoons black pepper
- 1pound eggplant, cut into ¾-inch cubes
- 4dates, pitted and finely chopped
- ¼cup chopped cilantro
- 3tablespoons sliced almonds
- Chopped fresh mint, for garnish
Preparation
- Step 1
In a medium bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic. Whisk in 5 tablespoons of the oil.
- Step 2
Season the meat with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and transfer to a large, nonreactive bowl. Pour half the yogurt mixture over the meat and toss well. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 3 hours or overnight.
- Step 3
Heat the oven to 425 degrees. Toss the eggplant with the remaining 3 tablespoons oil, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Spread on a baking sheet and roast, tossing occasionally, until eggplant is golden brown and tender, 20 to 30 minutes. Scrape into a bowl. Whisk the dates and cilantro into the remaining yogurt mixture and toss with the warm eggplant.
- Step 4
Adjust the oven to broil, with a rack 2 inches from the heat. Remove meat from marinade, wiping off any excess, and transfer to a large baking sheet. Drizzle lamb with a little oil. Broil until golden and cooked to desired doneness, about 4 minutes for medium rare. Let the meat rest for 5 minutes.
- Step 5
In a small skillet over medium-high heat, toast almonds, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes.
- Step 6
Divide meat among serving plates and spoon eggplant next to the meat. Garnish with almonds and mint.
Private Notes
Cooking Notes
Wow. This is fantastic. My leg of lamb gave me about 1lb 11 oz and there was plenty of marinade. Also used parsley instead of cilantro. The flavors were perfect, with a lovely sweetness from the dates.
For me the eggplant yogurt date mixture was the star of the show! I agree with other reviewers that broiling was not the best way to cook the lamb. Although tender and flavorful from the marinade, it was overcooked and not crispy. I'd have rather grilled it (or used a grill pan). The eggplant mixture was amazing and I would serve that with any meat or veggie as a main dish! I added some salt and extra cilantro to it, and also added some of the toasted almonds to give it some texture.
The first time I made this, broiling the lamb in the oven set off the fire alarm, and the lamb didn't even get charred.
The second time, we put the lamb on metal skewers and grilled it outside, and it was perfect. The flavors in this dish are terrific!
Delicious, especially the eggplant yogurt part. Be sure to follow the directions and really wipe off the marinade before you grill the lamb. I didn't and ended up with too much liquid and grey meat. I might in the future just marinate the meat in olive oil, garlic and lemon, as I usually cook lamb chops.
Really nice recipe. Served with warm pita and a nice Shiraz. Would probably cut my lamb into larger pieces next time and grill over charcoal. Seems like lamb takes to smoke so nicely which would do well with the sweet umami from the yogurt-eggplant.
Didn’t have dates but had pomegranate and it was great!
This was incredible and I will be making it again. I added romanesco for extra veggies. I think it would be great with pomegranate seeds on top.
I used the air-fryer to cook the lamb, which worked fantastic. Only had fig jam to use instead of dates, and was a great substitute. Delicious yogurt eggplant mixture, and put the mixture and the lamb on top of naan bread.
My Miele speed oven, which is normally awesome, did not allow the sheet pan to be close enough to the broiler to brown, so I bailed after two minutes and tossed the lamb onto a very hot cast iron w/a splash of olive oil. Fantastic. Loved it! Will try skewers and grill it next time.
Simple to make and delicious.
The eggplant yogurt mixture is incredible! We decided to omit the lamb, and just have the eggplant yogurt mixture with whole dates and almonds. Definitely filling and beautiful on its own.
Yogurt mixture is amazing! I might have been a little more conservative with garlic, or minced it instead of chopping. Too strong with the eggplant mixture. Otherwise, perfect!!
really enjoyed this unusual dish. grilled the lamb on the weber and wish i had marinated it just a bit longer. also by the time the lamb cooked, rested and was mixed with the eggplant the eggplant mix was cold. next time i'll get it all done at once so its still warm. made some brown rice (which hardly got eaten as we didn't need it) and served with homemade hummus and pita bread along with a salad of tomatoes, cukes and red onion. will make again for sure
Could you use cashew yogurt for this dish?
Used Trader Joe’s rib chops, cutting them into individual chops. Cooked chops hot and fast on grill. Used mini processor to chop garlic and combine yogurt and lemon zest and juice. Added both cilantro and mint to yogurt, date mixture. Serve with rice and green salad.
This is very good. Next time though I'll skewer and grill the lamb while the eggplant is in the oven. My broiler stinks and the meat doesn't get enough of a char.
Made this tonight for 'social distancing' dinner w/friends. My husband grilled the lamb outside on the gas grill and it was a big hit. Delicious!
Any ideas on how to adjust this for lamb shoulder?
wonderful!
Absolutely delicious!
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