I made Greek-inspired lamb kebabs, served with some curry-roasted cauliflower and broccoli. Is it paleo-friendly? Well, depends on your definition. It does contain greek yogurt, and I had a few small potatoes from my dad’s garden that I needed to roast. Potatoes are definitely out in the Paleo prescription, but I just walk an extra few miles to burn them off…

I don’t know much about lamb at all, other than I like the flavor. And I like Greek/Mediterranean flavors, so I thought I’d dive in head-first and see what I could come up with. I started by purchasing an affordable cut of lamb leg at my local Costco. Figured if it didn’t turn out, at worst, I’m out $20…

I ended up making a yogurt-based marinade that was heavy on lemon flavor. The yogurt and acidic juice softened and seasoned the lamb well, and it was bursting with flavor after a dance with my grill. I’ll post my simple recipe for curry-roasted vegetables down the road…

Ingredients:

1 leg of lamb or lamb roast. This was a 4-pounder, you could cut the recipe in half if you don’t want leftovers. I ate off this for 3 days!
1 container of plain greek yogurt (about 3 cups)
1 lemon
1 small bunch of fresh rosemary (about 1/3 C. minced)
2 TBS. dried or fresh oregano
2 TBS coriander
1 TBS salt and 1 TBS fresh cracked pepper
1/2 C. coconut oil
1 red onion
Fresh mint leaves

Preparation:

Add the yogurt to a large mixing bowl. Then with a micrograter, zest the lemon into the bowl.

Now squeeze the juice into the yogurt.

Finely mince the rosemary leaves, removing the thick stems as you go. Add this to the yogurt mix

Add the oregano, coriander, salt, pepper and oil to the yogurt.

Stir to combine. Greek yogurt is thick, so it may be a little lumpy, mix until the yogurt marinade is reasonably smooth.

Now slice your lamb meat into 1 1/2″ chunks

Pour the yogurt marinade into a 1-gallon plastic bag, then add the lamb. Seal the bag, removing as much air as possible, and then with both hands, work the marinade and meat together to combine thoroughly.

Put the bag into the fridge for at least 3 hours, preferably overnight.

When you’re ready to cook, prepare your kebab skewers. Fire up your grill so it’s nice and hot when you’re ready. Dice the red onion into 1-inch squares. I’m using stainless steel skewers, but if you prefer the wooden ones, be sure to soak them in water for an hour before building your kebabs. Also, since I’m working on a gas grill, I’m presoaking some wood chips that I’ll place in a foil packet on the grill to add some smoke flavor.

Alternately add a meat chunk and slice of onion to your skewers.

Now turn the heat to low, and place the skewers on your grill. I like to use this handy skewer rack, as it prevents the meat from sticking to the grill, and makes it easier to turn them for even cooking.

Watch your kebabs carefully, turn them as needed to get nice browning on all sides. Turn them and grill for about 15 minutes. I like mine a little charred, so I may grill up to 20 minutes.

Pull ’em off the grill, serve them on the skewer or slide them into a serving dish.

Sprinkle the mint leaves over the kebabs, squeeze another lemon over them if you feel like it, and serve!