Author Notes
My aunt used to make a roasted leg of lamb marinated in yogurt every Easter and it was delicious. This recipe is less time consuming as far as cooking time is concerned and can make a beautiful & quick weeknight meal if the meat is marinated the night before. I love to serve this with a pea and mint puree, it screams "welcome spring!"! —Culinista Annouchka
Ingredients
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2
racks of spring lamb (about 2 lbs), preferably from New Zealand
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1
tub of plain Greek yogurt (500 g) at least 2 %
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1/2 cup
Italian parsley, chopped
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1/2 cup
fresh mint, chopped (or more if desired)
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1
lemon, zested & juiced (we used a Meyer lemon)
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1/2 cup
red onion, chopped
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3
cloves of garlic, minced (spring garlic would be lovely here)
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1/4 cup
very good olive oil
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1 teaspoon
smoked paprika
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1 pinch
Fleur de Sel
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Fresh ground pepper
Directions
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In a large bowl mix together the yogurt, parsley, mint, lemon zest & juice, onion, garlic, olive oil, paprika & a large pinch of Fleur de sel and some fresh ground pepper. Mix well. The mint yogurt sauce should be very fragrant.
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Place the lamb in a large ziplock bag and spoon over the mint yogurt mixture, reserving 1/2 cup for the sauce. Make sure it coats the meat and rub the yogurt into the lamb. Marinate in the fridge overnight or for a minimum of 4 hours, occasionally massaging the meat with the yogurt marinade.
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Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Lay the racks of lamb in a roasting pan side by side and fat side up. Discard the marinade bag. Roast for 10 to 12 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350ºF and continue roasting for 15 to 17 minutes. The internal temperature of the meat should reach 130ºF.
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Remove the lamb from the oven, place on a cutting board and cover. Let the meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing individual cutlets and serving with the reserved mint yogurt sauce.
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