Lamb Chops With Dates, Feta and Tahini
- Total Time
- 25 minutes, plus 30 minutes' marinating
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
Advertisement
Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- ⅔cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- 3garlic cloves, crushed
- 1½teaspoons Aleppo pepper, or 1 teaspoon other crushed hot pepper
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 8lamb rib chops, 1-inch thick, Frenched (about 1¾ pounds)
- 3tablespoons tahini
- ¼cup Greek yogurt
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- 1tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 8soft dates, pitted and sliced
- ⅔cup crumbled barrel-aged feta cheese
- 1big bunch of mint, leaves only, more for garnish
- 1bunch dill, fronds only, coarsely chopped, more for garnish
- ¼teaspoon sumac
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
1163 calories; 99 grams fat; 32 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 50 grams monounsaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 45 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 33 grams sugars; 30 grams protein; 872 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered byPreparation
- Step 1
In a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, combine ⅓ cup oil, the cumin, 2 garlic cloves, the Aleppo pepper and half the lemon juice. Add lamb, turn to coat, cover baking dish and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours.
- Step 2
In a blender, combine remaining garlic clove, 3 tablespoons oil, the tahini, the yogurt, salt and pepper to taste, and 3 tablespoons water. Blend until it has the consistency of thick heavy cream, adding more water or adjusting seasoning if necessary. Set aside.
- Step 3
Heat a grill, grill pan or cast-iron skillet over high heat until very hot. Remove lamb from marinade, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cook for 1½ minutes on each side for rare. If you'd like, prop each lamb chop on its fatty side to briefly sear it, around 30 seconds. Transfer to a cutting board to rest.
- Step 4
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk to combine the remaining scant 3 tablespoons oil, the vinegar and salt and pepper to taste. Toss with dates, feta, mint and dill. Place on serving platter, top with lamb, and drizzle with tahini dressing. Garnish with extra herbs and sumac, and serve with remaining tahini sauce on the side. Serve immediately.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
jackie
Food52 says to put the second half of the lemon in the tahini sauce.
Casey
What happened to the other half of the lemon juice?
Paul Menkes
Made with loin chops and figs substituted for dates. The salad was spectacular. Chicken thighs would work fine. Cook them 5 minutes skin side down over medium high heat then turn over and pan roast 5-7 minutes at 350.
Dinah
Really tasty, medley of flavours. Made pretty much as written..,.except added lemon juice to tahini sauce, didnt have fresh dill so used generous amount of dried, soaked dates to soften and substituted Kefta Rub, a dried Moroccan Rub and Spice Blend, for the sumac. Prep a bit time consuming but at least it all comes together quickly once meat starts cooking. will make again.
jdt
This was incredible, I really loved it! Pretty much followed the recipe except used WAY less oil in the marinade. What a waste and lamb is already so fatty, no idea why recipes are like this. Also used only about a tablespoon in the salad which was plenty. I find too much olive oil can be overpowering (and unnecessary) in dressings, especially with delicate herbs. Sadly no sumac but used extra lemon and vinegar, also added grated garlic to the tahini sauce. Already excited to make this again.
hmyerage
This was wonderful and I will make again. I was confused about the lamb, it needs cut into chops prior to marinating. Also confused about remaining 1/2 lemon, apparently needs to go in tahini sauce. I served with lemon potatoes from cooks illustrated and Greek salad. Serve on platter vs bowl.
D
Could this recipe work with pork chop?
Nat
Added about a cup of chopped parsley to the salad and a bit of Dijon to the white wine vinegar dressing. Cooked to medium for a great party pleaser.
Jenn
The lamb was good but not great, salad saved this dish. My barrel-aged feta was not very salty, and I could’ve used more salt on the chops themselves. I’ve always salted meat about 4 hours before grilling for chops and wish I would have this time, but the recipe probably allows for saltier feta. The salad is superb.
quite
didn't have lamb so used tofu. didn't follow any of the directions and blended the sauce without the lid on the blender out of lambless frustration. quite miserable.
my notes
Seriously good. Used 3 dates for 2 people Had to water down tahini Delicious
bermy
Made this but no dill so just used shredded romaine and served with the date feta mixture.
bermy
Made it Aug 2022. Yes the sauce needs more lemon.
DaniPancakes
Made this exactly as written (added the second half of the lemon to the tahini sauce thank to the reviews) The salad was just so good and the star of the show! I used the leftover sauce in falafel pitas the next day and it was excellent.
DaniPancakes
I followed the recipe closely however, I did divide the recipe by half. Delicious and perfect for two with a wonderful Pinot Noir. The salad was wonderfully balanced and so fresh. I did add another tablespoon or two of water, a bit more lemon juice (yes, I already added the other half left out ;)!!) to thin out the tahini sauce. Don’t be afraid to be add a dash more sumac than suggested when garnishing, it really makes the whole dish bright.
Rebecca
Great quick recipe overall. However, I found that an entire garlic clove made the yogurt tahini sauce too garlicky so I added lemon juice and more greek yogurt. Also, for a more sweet and savory taste add 1-2 tablespoons of honey and another a tablespoon of lemon the last step. It was delicious.
Reni
A perfect recipe. Made it for my wife and I on Valentines Day and we both really enjoyed it. Followed the recipe as is (although I forget the sumac!), and we found it to be one of the better recipes we’ve tried. A
Sissy
I would guess the rest of the lemon juice goes in the tahini-yogurt mixture since that is a typical combination.
Private notes are only visible to you.
Advertisement
