Sumac Lamb Chops with Lemon Tahini Dipping Sauce

If Jim and I are going to have a kind of fancy dinner at home, even on a whim, I will most often turn to lamb chops in some form!

If you love lamb, you get it! So much flavour, for so little work. Whether it is a rack of lamb, or cutting the rack into chops or lollipops, this cut of meat can be fancy or casual, high end, or perfect for a relaxed bbq.

Here is one of the best ways you can imagine to combine lamb with all sorts of Middle Eastern flavours.  For some reason, when I think lamb, I go directly to Greek, Middle Eastern, Iranian, Indian cuisines for inspiration.  This dish today combines the best of all those amazing flavours and ingredients.

What you will need for this recipe:

Lamb, either as a rack which you will cut yourself, or already prepared by the butcher.  A rack is a great amount for two, since there are usually between 8 and 10 individual chops, which is great for two people, with maybe one or two chops for leftovers the next day.

Olive oil

Seasonings: salt, pepper, sumac. Sumac is the ground up berry from the sumac bush.  It is dark burgundy almost brown in colour, and has a wonderul citrus flavour to it.  Sprinkled on meat, or veggies, it adds a smokey tang to the dish.  It is popular in Middle Eastern cuisines.

Seriously, all you need to do is heat up a large cast iron skillet or griddle (or even the outdoor grill!)  Drizzle the olive oil over the meat to just coat it, and then sprinkle the salt and pepper evenly on both sides.  Grill over medium high heat, adjusting it down if necessary, till gently charred on both sides.  Two to two and a half minutes per side should be good, depending on how thick the chops are, and how well done you want your meat.  We like ours medium to medium rare.  Sprinkle the sumac over all the chops and serve!  This is the basic recipe.  Now let’s have a little fun with it.

What to add to Lamb Chops to Make Them Even More Fun!

A dipping sauce is always a good idea.  Have you ever tried Chermoula Sauce?  It’s a green herby sauce similar to Chimichurri. But Chermoula has the addition of paprika and some chilli pepper.  So it has a bit more presence.  You can find a great recipe for it here in my Salmon Confit with Chermoula Sauce.  Of course a tangy and garlickly Tzatziki Sauce is great (maybe not as much for Date Night?!) and it is one of our favourites.  Here is my uber easy and popular tzatziki sauce, in my Pork Souvlaki with Labneh Tzatziki. 

Lemon Tahini Sauce

And today I am sharing another fun option, Lemon Tahini Sauce.  Tahini is that wonderful Middle Eastern condiment of roasted crushed sesame seeds.  It’s texture is almost like a nut butter (yes it is fantastic with honey on toast!)  Combining it with lemon juice and olive oil, plus some garlic and seasonings makes a great dip or salad dressing.  All you will need to do is thin it out with some water for a fabulous salad dressing.  This dip is great for the lamb chops, or even any veggies that you may be serving on the side.   Or of course, you can serve this dip with crusty bread or naan. I served these chops with my Harissa Spiced Tunisian Roasted Carrots, topped with some nutty and spicy Dukkah, and the Tahini Dressing is a perfect finish.  But you can serve just about anything on the side that you like.  If you like grilled peppers, zucchini or tomatoes, go with those. A cucumber salad on the side would be great too, don’t you think?

Adding some Easy Saffron Rice with Barberries is the perfect side to lamb.  If you want to have even less of a carby side, why not try my Malfouf, or Lebanese Cabbage Salad

So here’s to a tasty not dull Date Night Dinner!

Love Jen

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Sumac Lamb Chops with Tahini Dipping Sauce

An easy but elegant dinner is minutes away with these flavourful lamb chops. Served over saffron rice, and accompanied by a bright tahini dipping sauce, and roasted veggies, this is dinner party worthy, even if it is just two of you!

Course Main Course

Cuisine Middle Eastern

Keyword lamb chops, sumac, tahini sauce

Prep Time 8 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Servings 2

Ingredients

• 1 lamb rack frenched and cut into individual pieces, or 8 individual lamb chop lollipop style
• olive oil
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp sumac
• fresh chopped mint
• pomegranate arils

Lemon Tahini Dressing

• 1/4 cup tahini paste
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lemon zested and juiced
• 1 garlic clove minced
• salt
• pepper
• water

Instructions

Sumac Lamb Chops

1. Preheat the griddle, grill or cast iron skillet over medium high heat.
2. Drizzle a little olive oil over the chops, on both sides. Sprinkle salt and pepper on both sides of the chops.
3. Grill, in batches if necessary, about 2 -2 1/2 minutes per side, till nicely browned and cooked to your liking. For the average sized chop this will get you to a medium/medium rare finish. If you want to cook longer, perhaps adjust the heat to a little bit lower so that you don't overcook the exterior before the insides are cooked through.
4. Transfer to a platter and sprinkle the sumac generously over the chops.
5. Feel free to garnish with fresh mint and/or pomegranate arils

Lemon Tahini Dressing

1. Place the tahini paste into a medium sized bowl.
2. Zest the lemon, and squeeze out 2 tbsp of lemon juice. Add both to the tahini.
3. Add the olive oil. Stir everything till evenly incorporated. If you find it too thick, you can thin it out with some cool water.
4. Add the minced garlic.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. You can finish this dip with some sumac, or harissa powder or even just some fresh cilantro or mint.

Recipe Notes

Use the Tahini Dressing on salads (just thin it out to the desired consistency) or with roasted veggies, crudités, or meat. Even just dipping bread into this sauce will be a wonderful thing!