INGREDIENTS
Grilled lamb
3 pounds boneless leg of American lamb
2-3 teaspoons olive oil
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1/4 cup finely chopped dill
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Eggplant, basil & feta dip
1 large, or 2 medium-sized, egg plants
1-2 tablespoons of tahini
Juice of a lemon
2 teaspoons olive oil
Handful of fresh sweet basil
1/4 cup crumbly feta
1 clove fresh garlic
Spicy romesco sauce
1 cup roasted bell peppers
2 tablespoons sun dried tomatoes packed in olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Handful of cilantro
2 green onions
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
1-2 tablespoons toasted breadcrumbs (if needed, to thicken)
Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS
The lamb
Cut the leg of lamb into roughly 3-inch cubes. If you feel like a skewered kebab and have bamboo skewers, get them out and soak them in water.
Add the lamb to a large mixing bowl and add all the remaining marinade ingredients to the bowl and mix well. Allow to marinate for at least 15-20 minutes at room temperature or up to overnight in the refrigerator.
Heat the grill to 400 degrees. Place the eggplant (in prep for the dip) on the hot grill for 5 minutes before the meat.
Add the meat and sear on all sides, 2-3 minutes per side, turning the eggplant along with the meat until it’s blistered and dripping juices (about 20 minutes). Use a thermometer to test for the proper temperature. While the meat grills, prepare the dipping sauces.
Once the meat is grilled allow to rest 5-10 minutes before slicing.
The eggplant, basil & feta dip
Add all the dip ingredients to the work bowl of your food processor.
Allow the eggplant to sit on a plate roughly 5 minutes until you can safely handle it. Remove the blistered skin, then mix the hot eggplant in the food processor with everything else.
Transfer the warm sauce to a serving bowl and drizzle with olive oil.
The spicy romesco sauce:
In the same food processor (no worries if it’s still got eggplant dip in it), add all the sauce ingredients. Pulse until the sauce just comes together.
Transfer the sauce to a serving dish and dip the grilled lamb into it!
To serve, thinly slice the meat and serve hot with dips and herbs. This goes great into a warm pita or garlic flat bread!
