Terrific grilled lamb salad

Last weekend was really summery - the first truly warm spring days here. We cleaned the apartment, cuddled with the cats, got a lot of shopping done, and relaxed with a wonderful dinner on the balcony. This grilled lamb salad really hit the spot. I love lamb, and I'm always excited to use it in new combinations. This one isn't earth-shattering by any means, but it's very flavorful, well-balanced and in general a must-try.

The recipe comes from an issue of Donna Hay's magazine, that I picked up in the US last summer. A great magazine by the way, I really wish it was available here. As it is, I only have that one issue, and I would love more. Many more. Oh well.

Grilled Lamb Salad
Serves 2

350 g of lamb fillets
2 teaspoons of olive oil
ground cumin
sea salt
coarse black pepper
1/2 cucumber, halved and sliced
handful of ripe cherry tomatoes, quartered
2 shallots, sliced into thin rounds

Yougurt dressing
100 ml thick greek or turkish yogurt
handful of fresh mint, finely chopped
squeeze of lemon
1 tbsp or more of water

Start by mixing the oil with the cumin, salt and pepper. Brush this onto the fillets of lamb, and grill them - outdoor if you have the equipment and the weather, or in a regular indoors grill pan. (That's what I did, and it was great.) Don't overcook them - just grill for a few minutes on each side. Meanwhile, get the veggies ready and arrange on plates. Chop the mint for the dressing, and mix together the yogurt with water and lemon, and the mint. Add more water if you think it needs it.

Slice the lamb, arrange over the veggies, and drizzle with dressing. Done! This is also great with a garlicky tzatziki, or my own little version, "raitziki". I happened to have some in the frige, and it blended very well with the other flavors. This is something we'll eat often during the summer, I'm sure.


Can't resist putting up a picture of it in its nude state, too. Mmm.