Marinated Lamb Kebabs

One of the simple pleasures I have on the weekends is visiting my local Byerly’s meat counter. These guys back there are awesome! Always friendly and helpful! These people are always ready with a grilling or roasting tip to make their products even tastier when you try them at home. Cheers to you people of the meat counters!

I approached the butcher and inquired about lamb (having never bought it before) and he pointed me in the right direction. Since I was only preparing dinner for the two of us I cut the recipe in half, which worked perfectly. I took home one pound of rosemary marinated top round lamb, which the butcher kindly cubed up for me for the kebabs.

Marinated Lamb Kebabs (from Barefoot Contessa)

1 pound plain yogurt (regular or lowfat) (I used half of a 32 oz container)
1/4 cup good olive oil, plus more for brushing grill
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (2 lemons) (I used one to produce between 1/8 to ¼ cup)
5 tablespoons fresh whole rosemary leaves
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 pounds top round lamb (I used one pound)
1 red onion

Directions

Combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large, non-reactive bowl. Add the lamb, making sure it is covered with the marinade, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for up to 2 days.

Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals. Spread the coals in one tight layer on the grill.
Cut the lamb in 1 1/2-inch cubes. You should have about 20 cubes (I had about 10 since I halved the recipe). Also if cooking with wood skewers, soak them in water for 15 minutes to reduce the chance of them catching fire.

Cut the red onion in 8 pieces and separate each piece into 3 or 4 sections. Loosely thread 3 or 4 pieces of lamb onto skewers alternately with sections of onion. Sprinkle both sides of the lamb cubes with salt and pepper. Place the skewers on the hot grill and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, turning 2 or 3 times, until the lamb is medium-rare.