Indian Spiced Yogurt Marinated Lamb Kebabs over Herb Salad

Visiting Mom this weekend for more wedding planning and we wanted to make something fun for dinner without having to go to the store.  She happened to have some boneless lamb shoulder, and suggested lamb kebabs.  I started looking at marinade options, and devised my own based loosely on a tandoori recipe.  Since summer has come early to NH, we also wanted a lighter dish, and didn't have any naan or lavash anyways, so served the kebabs over an herb salad (although if you wanted to make the meal heartier, or feel a necessity for starch, you can always have some warm naan or lavash on the side and roll up the kebabs with the salad inside too).

These kebabs would be stellar over a charcoal grill, but we were too tired to haul it out last night.  The broiler worked great, giving a slight char and keeping the lamb juicy and tender.  The kebabs will make good leftovers, either brought to room temperature or reheated gently.  Some of the spices may not be regular players in your pantry (tumeric, coriander, mustard powder), but it is worth buying a small quantity to make this dish.  Tangy, not too spicy, but very complex, mouthwatering and good for you too.  Try to find sustainable, all natural lamb for this dish.

For 4 people

Marinade:

• 1 cup 0% greek yogurt
• juice of 1 lime
• 1 TBS minced garlic
• 1/2 TBS sweet paprika
• 1/2 TBS ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp tumeric
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 tsp mustard powder
• 1/8 tsp cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 1 TBS milk

Kebabs:

• 1 to 1 1/2 pounds lean, boneless lamb shoulder or leg, trimmed of fat and cut into 2" chunks
• 2 red bell peppers, cut into 1 1/2" pieces

Salad:

• Small head of romaine lettuce, cut into ribbons
• 2-3 scallions, thinly sliced
• small handful parsley, roughly chopped
• small handful cilantro, roughly chopped
• juice of half a lime and 1/2 tsp lime zest
• 2 TBS olive oil

Instructions:

• Whisk together marinade ingredients in big bowl
• Add lamb chunks to marinade, coat thoroughly and let sit at room temperature for 2 hours or refrigerate overnight (if refrigerating overnight, let lamb come to room temp before cooking)
• Thread lamb chunks onto metal skewers, placing two chunks of red pepper per lamb chunk alternately on the kebab
• Broil kebabs on foil, 3 minutes first side and 2 minutes on the second side for medium rare, then let rest for 5 minutes (if you have a charcoal grill, cook for same time over direct heat)
• While kebabs rest, assemble salad by tossing the lettuce and herbs with the lime juice, lime zest and olive oil
• Place kebabs atop salad, family style, or make individual plates, giving each person 4 to 5 lamb chunks and 8 or so red pepper chunks