Grilled Spicy Moroccan Lamb with Mint Cilantro Chutney

We have a friend, Graeme, visiting from Australia and I wanted to make one of my favorite recipes. This recipe is a bit time consuming but if you love food and cooking...time isn't gonna be an issue. This flavors of this lamb dish are outstanding. The BBQ sauce is bursting with the right amount of spices and not too sweet (for my palate anyway) and the mint chutney accents the sauce quite well.  Even ones who claim they don't like lamb will love this dish !  Proven :)

Ingredients for Mint Chutney Mariande :

 two racks of lamb ( my rack had 8 chops per rack)

1 cup of fresh mint leaves

1/2 cup fresh cilantro

3 green onions , white and green part
1 tsp cumin

1/4 cup of fresh parsley

2 Tb fresh lemon juice

1/2 cup olive oil

1 TB chopped garlic - Christopher Ranch garlic in oil - had a nice roasted garlic taste, * you can use fresh

1 tsp kosher salt

big pinch of red pepper  to add some heat

**Use fresh Herbs not dry.

BBQ Sauce :

1/2 cup lemon juice
3/4 cups honey

1 cup rice vinegar

1/4 cup ketchup

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 tsp cardamom powder

1 tsp curry powder

1 tsp cinnamon powder

1 tsp anise seed, crushed until powder like

1 tsp crushed garlic

crushed red pepper flakes, big pinch, adjust for your taste buds

1 tsp ancho chile powder

How To :
Cut the rack of lamb into individual chops.

In a blender, blend all the chutney ingredients  

Toss the lamb chops with 3/4 of the mint cilantro chutney, save the rest for plating/drizzling. Chill in refrigerator for about 2 hours.. or longer.

While the lamb is chillin' and hanging out in the refrigerator, in a pot add all the ingredients for the BBQ and heat over medium heat. Let the sauce cook long enough for it to reduce by half... it will thicken and the taste will be more concentrate.

Take out the lamb from the refrigerator and get the grill nice and hot. Cook the lamb about 4 minutes on each side...time will vary depending on thickness of the lamb and how you like your meat done. Medium is best and how I prefer it.

The Side :

3 yams  or sweet potatoes

3-4 TB butter
pinch of cinnamon

tsp kosher salt

Bake the yams in the oven until done(my oven was 355 convection for 40 minutes) Scoop out the pulp and mash with butter, cinnamon kosher salt.

Plate it :

In the middle of the plate, place a big dollop of the mashed yams, place chops standing up against the yam mash. Drizzle the BBQ sauce over each chop and some drizzle around the plate. Then take the left over chutney and drizzle around the plate.


Serve will Couscous.. your choice.  I usually make couscous with currants & herbs

Serve & Enjoy Every Bite !