By John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger
- Total Time
- About 35 minutes
- Rating
- 5(275)
- Notes
- Read community notes
Taking a cue from the hot-weather regions of the world, John Willoughby and Chris Schlesinger go heavy with the seasoning here, but the key is when that happens. Instead of a marinade, or a spice rub, they grill the lamb and season it after with garlic, basil, vinegar and Tabasco sauce. It’s a great way to add big flavor without spending all day in the kitchen.
Featured in: Conjuring a Taste Filled With Tropical Wonder
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Include recipe photo
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 1cup yogurt
- ½cup minced fresh mint
- 2pounds boneless lamb leg
- ¼cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1tablespoon curry powder
- Salt and freshly cracked pepper
- 2peaches, pitted and halved (not peeled)
- 1tablespoon roughly chopped garlic
- ¼cup roughly chopped fresh basil
- ¼cup balsamic vinegar
- 4 to 8shots Tabasco, depending on your desire for heat
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
692 calories; 49 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 24 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 16 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 12 grams sugars; 46 grams protein; 968 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 by
Preparation
Step
1
Build a fire in your grill; when the coals are all covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium-hot (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the grill for 3 to 4 seconds), you are ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, lower cover, and heat for 15 minutes, then turn burners to medium-high.)
Step
2
Mix the yogurt and mint together in a small bowl and set aside.
Step
3
Trim the lamb of most but not all fat and cut it into 32 large chunks, about 1 inch square. Add them to a large bowl with the olive oil, curry powder, salt and pepper, and toss well to coat, then thread onto 4 skewers.
Step
4
Put the skewers on the grill directly over the coals. Also put the peaches on the grill, cut side down, and cook until just slightly charred and softened, about 6 minutes. Take off the grill and cut into large wedges (about 6 per peach).
Step
5
At the same time, cook the lamb, turning to expose all 4 sides to the direct heat of the coals, until done to your liking, about 2 to 3 minutes per side (8 to 12 minutes total) for medium rare. (To check for doneness, cut into one of the chunks and check to see if it is cooked to your liking — remove from the heat when it is slightly less done than you want it to be when you eat it.)
Step
6
Put the peaches and lamb into a large bowl. Add the garlic, basil, vinegar and Tabasco, toss to coat, season with more salt and pepper if needed, and serve (over rice if you wish), accompanied by the yogurt and mint.
Ratings
5
out of 5
275
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
Terry J
This was very tasty and easy. Next time I would pump up the heat somewhat by adding red pepper flakes to the curry rub. I served with a fruit chutney and pita bread and sliced red onion (in addition to the yogurt) and it was perfect.
Tami Brook
I switched out the curry powder for Ras el Hanout and doubled the peaches. It was a huge hit. I would add extra cayenne pepper the next time,
brooklynjen
Delicious. I doubled the peaches and added a few skewers of grilled bell peppers and onions, and made a little extra vinegar sauce to compensate.
bluetomatoes
Used chicken -- hit with a very tough audience. Don't overcook the chicken. Don't jam the chicken together on the skewer -- faster, more complete cooking if a bit of room between the pieces exists. Don't become neurotic about making sure there is space. Think loosely spaced.
Offer Tabasco as an option for diners -- prefer to heat to their own liking. If you do, make sure your curry powder is strong and fresh.
Consider increasing balsamic vinegar sauce by 50% to well coat all.
Simó
Add grilled red onions w/sumac. Serve with pita.
Meghan
Made this for the second time tonight and it was as good as I remember. Subbed sriracha for Tabasco because we didn't have any and used mint instead of basil in the vinaigrette. We grilled the lamb on a grill mat instead of using skewers, which saved time and still came out delicious. Topped the lamb / peach mixture with arugula and tossed like a salad. Delicious, simple, and super fast.
Jennifer W
This was delicious and fairly simple to prepare. I could not get leg of lamb at our local market so I used lamb chops instead (t-bone style). I put the olive oil/curry powder combo on the chops versus chopping the meat into kebobs. Still fantastic. We grilled the chops and topped with the basil/garlic/balsamic combo. The yogurt sauce was good but not necessary for this dish - very flavorful!!!
Jacqueline
Really excellent even without any Tabasco if you don't like spicy food - used an entire leg of lamb, cut into chunks, with 4 peaches and everything doubled, and in addition to balsamic, I christened some pomegranate vinegar (from Trader Joe's) to add to marinade, a fantastic pairing with lamb IMOHO. Served with warm pita bread, cucumbers with sumac and feta elsewhere on this site, and the yogurt dip - which might benefit from some garlic. Everyone loved the lamb, definitely a redo.
Petra
Fantastic dish. Didn't have plums - used figs instead!!!! Also used an aged balsamic that had a thicker consistency. Loved how easy and quick this was. I think post marinade is the new way to go! Happy Summer.
bluetomatoes
Surprisingly, not using ripe peaches work better -- don't disintegrate on the grille. Also, lamb cooks way faster than this recipe suggests on a gas grille at 350 to 400. So either set lower to watch carefully. In 3 minutes, 3/4" chunks cooked through at 400 degrees on a gas grille. Try without tabasco and with and decide. Our tribe went without.Tried oiling grille with a high temp oil (canola). Got the grilled strips without sticking entirely.
MollyT
I used nectarines because the peaches weren't quite ripe. And a teaspoon of sriracha just because I prefer it to Tabasco. Will definitely make this again when the peaches are ripe.
Jenn
This recipe was delicious. Any variety of spices could be used (one of my dinner guests is not a fan of curry so I changed up the choice of seasoning.) Like it was noted by others, it’s important not to crowd the meat on the skewers. Finally the balsamic garlic combo that was used as a finish was a huge hit. This recipe was easily doubled.
kate (tk)
Have made this a few times. Wonderful. We double the peaches.
Kristen
Delicious! We used veal because our Farmer's Market only had that....soooo good. :-)
Nicole Q
This is insanely good. Even in a cast iron skillet! Will def be making it again. And will add cayenne to add even more heat since the yogurt tempers it a bit.
Theresa Nelson
Fabulous, we’ll make this for a future dinner party. We used a stovetop cast iron rectangular grill pan as it was too windy to grill, and simply laid the lamb pieces on it slightly apart, no skewers needed.
JC
Tasty and easy. I used labneh instead of Greek yogurt as I find it to have better flavor. Also added a squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil. Didn’t have enough basil so used mint which worked fine.
magnamosa
very usual and delsih dish! glad i read other reviews and added extra fruit. only had one peach so used a few nectarines which came out great! loved the raw garlic and fresh basil addition at the end. marinated the lamb for about 3 hours but would do overnight next time. also added some tumeric
Pat K
I substituted nectarines for peaches because that is what I had on hand. Well received.
brian
We didn’t have good luck with this cooking time. The lamb was tough and simmering gently for 2 more hours was no better.
Kevin Le Bon
For the marinade: I added 1/2 cup red wine.I took all the trimmings from the lamb cubes, reduced them in water with carrots and onions & de-fatted the result. Then threw in all the left-over marinade (including the herbs & onions) and reduced to a syrop; miked that in with the garlic, basil, etc, and added yogurt to that mix, rather than serving separately. No salt needed.
Tate W
So delicious with more layers of flavor than I’ve achieved before. Served it with an aromatic jasmine rice and I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!!!
megS
Excellent! Used butterflied leg of lamb, trimmed of most of fat, cooked whole on grill and sliced afterward, easier than skewering. My peaches were not even close to being ripe, so left on grill longer and still tasted pretty good. The curry powder marinade and vinegar sauce are sufficiently tasty that I would not do the yogurt sauce next time.
Ellen
This is amazingly good. The minted yogurt did not wow us until we tasted it with the lamb. The combination is delicious!
Jenn
This recipe was delicious. Any variety of spices could be used (one of my dinner guests is not a fan of curry so I changed up the choice of seasoning.) Like it was noted by others, it’s important not to crowd the meat on the skewers. Finally the balsamic garlic combo that was used as a finish was a huge hit. This recipe was easily doubled.
bluetomatoes
Surprisingly, not using ripe peaches work better -- don't disintegrate on the grille. Also, lamb cooks way faster than this recipe suggests on a gas grille at 350 to 400. So either set lower to watch carefully. In 3 minutes, 3/4" chunks cooked through at 400 degrees on a gas grille. Try without tabasco and with and decide. Our tribe went without.Tried oiling grille with a high temp oil (canola). Got the grilled strips without sticking entirely.
Lora
Fantastic! Agree with others that one should figure one peach (2 halves) per person.
Private notes are only visible to you.
