Yoghurt-Marinated Lamb Kebabs with Tzatziki + Pita Chips

Why hello gorgeous recipe from Smitten Kitchen, haven’t see you in a while, have I?  As you guys would know, sweets and baked food is ma’ thing. You might recall my last post of a meal recipe was beef empanadas. However, I came across this seemingly easy recipe** from Smitten Kitchen and decided I will once again step out of my baking and chocolate comfort zone to bring you Lamb Kebabs with Homemade Tzatziki and Pita Chips. Can I get a ‘YUM’? There’s also a vegetarian option for this meal below, invented by yours truly.

So if you’re looking for a fresh, meaty, crunchy, yoghurty and delicious dinner, this is it. This. Is. It.

And please forgive my night time photography – it’s definitely not on par with my day time snaps!

Ingredients for kebabs 

– 500g  plain yogurt (regular or lowfat)
– 1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing grill
– 1 teaspoon lemon zest
– 1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons)
– 5 tablespoons fresh whole rosemary leaves, chopped
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
– 1kg top round lamb
– 1 red onion
– rice (I’ve added this as an optional)

Steps

1. Combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large,  bowl.
2. Cut the lamb in 1 1/2-inch cubes (you’ll have about 20) and add it to the yogurt, making sure it is covered with the marinade. Cover the mixture plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to two days – (I left it for 3 hours – because I started making the dish I didn’t realise this step required overnight refrigeration – but it was still as good for three hours)
3. Cut the red onion in 8 pieces and separate each piece into three or four sections. Loosely thread three or four pieces of lamb onto skewers alternately with sections of onion.
4. Sprinkle both sides of the lamb cubes with salt and pepper.
5. Place the skewers on the hot grill (oven grill or BBQ grill) and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning two or three times, until the lamb is medium-rare.
6. If you chose to cook rice which I did, place kebabs on the bed of rice immediately.

(I made a vegetarian kebab by layering onion, capsicum, haloumi and eggplant. I didn’t season it so my brother said it was a bit bland but if you satay the eggplant or just put some herb and garlic salt it should be pretty yummy!)

Ingredients for Tzatziki

– 400g Greek yogurt
– 1 cucumber, unpeeled and seeded
– 1/4 cup sour cream
– 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
– 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
– 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
– 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
– 2 teaspoons salt
– 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Steps

1. Place the yogurt in a medium bowl.
2. Grate the cucumber on a box grater (or in your food processor) and squeeze the grated cucumber with your hand to remove some of the liquid.
3. Add it to the yogurt along with the sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar, dill, garlic, salt and pepper and stir.

Ingredients for Pita Chips

– 6 large pitas, cut into eight wedges each, then each wedge split into two layers (for small chips) cut into six wedges and split (for large, scoopable chips)
– Olive oil cooking spray or 2 tablespoons olive oil
– Flaky sea salt
– Herb and garlic salt

Steps

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C (350 degrees F).
2. On a large baking sheet lined with parchment paper, arrange all of the pita slices so they do not overlap.
3.Either brush or spray with olive oil, then sprinkle with sea salt and your spice of choice (I seasoned with herb and garlic salt and they were deeeelicious! Made the house smell super yummy too)
4. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until they begin to colour. Let them cool completely before using. You can also bag them for later.

THE VERDICT

I was rather impressed with myself tonight, if I do say so myself. Which I do. Though the meal had quite a lot of elements, they all came together beautifully. If you’re a seasoned cooker, you might be able to whip this up quickly. But if you’re a baker (read: amateur baker OR girl who loves to bake and eat sweet things non-stop) and don’t cook much, save this meal for a night when you have more time to fiddle around and get the ingredients and combination of flavours right.

Kebabs – The kebabs were gorgeous – very soft and moist, with a great tangy yoghurt flavour. The little bursts of rosemary made it really fresh and complimented the yoghurt flavour sensationally.

Tzatziki – This was what I most impressed myself by making. I’d never made this before, but it was surprisingly easy! Make sure you play around with the flavours to get them how you really like. I added more dill and cucumber because I felt like it needed it. But it’s really up to you! A very fresh, creamy and tangy dip which went beautifully with the …

Pita chips – These are SO easy and so delicious when they came out of the oven I literally jumped for joy. They are a healthy alternative to chips (although let’s be honest, nothing beats good old Smith’s Chips amIright? The herb and garlic salt seasoned the chips wonderfully – I just love herb and garlic salt. But you can really season them however you want.

** It probably would have been an easy recipe if I were a seasoned cooker, which I’m not. So from start to finish it took me about 2 hours. Oops.

What’s your favourite home-cooked meal? 

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