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Grilled Lamb Chops with Kefir Verde Sauce

Three doublecut lamb chops on a platter with grilled lemon wedges grilled scallions and a bowl of creamy green sauce.
Photo by Jennifer Davick

Step up your marinade game by soaking lamb chops in tart pomegranate juice and tenderizing kefir. The chops will develop a beautiful caramelization during grilling, thanks to the natural sugars in the marinade.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

Lamb:

1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons Maldon sea salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 1⁄4 cups organic plain whole-milk kefir
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh mint
1 1⁄2 cups fresh or bottled pomegranate juice
8 lamb chops

Verde sauce:

2 bunches green onions, whole
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon Maldon sea salt
1 clove garlic, peeled
1 cup fresh chopped parsley
1 cup organic plain whole-milk kefir

Preparation

  1. For the lamb:

    Step 1

    In a bowl that is large enough to accommodate the lamb, combine the black pepper, sea salt, garlic, kefir, mint, and pomegranate juice. Add the lamb, stirring well to coat, and let it marinate in the refrigerator overnight. Take the lamb out of the refrigerator 1 hour before cooking (discard the marinade). Fire up your outdoor grill to very hot. Wipe the grill grates with a bit of oil and grill the lamb on high, about 5 minutes per side. Set the chops aside and let them rest for 10 minutes. (If you don’t have an outdoor grill, you can use a grill pan or cast-iron skillet.)

  2. For the verde sauce:

    Step 2

    In a medium bowl, toss the green onions with the olive oil and sea salt and cook on the grill until blackened. Set aside to cool. In a blender, combine the blackened green onions, garlic, parsley, and kefir and puree until smooth.

  3. To plate:

    Step 3

    Serve the lamb family-style on a large platter, with the verde on the side.

Image may contain: Animal, Seafood, Food, Sea Life, Lobster, and Crab
From The Kefir Cookbook: An Ancient Healing Superfood for Modern Life, Recipes From My Family Table and Around the World © 2018 by Julie Smolyansky. Reprinted with permission from HarperOne, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. Buy the full book from HarperCollins or from Amazon.

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