This blog post and recipe was created in partnership with the American Lamb Board.

We’ve been sharing the responsibility of cooking with our neighbors during this time, to keep things interesting and to lighten the load for each other during the week. It’s actually been a relief to know that at least twice during the week I don’t have to plan for dinner. The recipe I’ve prepared here was lovingly prepared and shared with our elderly neighbors. The lamb is marinated in a delicious combination of mustards, grilled and then served with a very simple salad of fresh local tomatoes and herbs from the garden. This is such a simple way to enjoy American Lamb and the best part is, you’re able to use all those bottled condiments hanging out in your refrigerator. Yes, we had three kinds of mustard in there because I seem to collect condiments, but you could absolutely use whatever is available in your refrigerator.

Since I wanted to share this meal with another family, it wouldn’t have been at its best when served at room temperature or reheated. Therefore, I packed half of the marinated lamb in containers with grilling instructions and added whole tomatoes and herbs to the basket along with some greens and the jarred vinaigrette. That way they could grill, slice and enjoy everything as fresh as possible with very little effort. All of this brings me to #TheLambChallenge!

What is The Lamb Challenge?

When you purchase American Lamb, you’ll be directly helping families and farms in your community while feeding your family delicious meals. This June, the American Lamb community wants to encourage you to get cooking!

The Lamb Challenge has consumers preparing 2 different lamb recipes as they explore the adventurous appeal of American Lamb while supporting America’s farms and flocks and helping raise funds for Feeding America.

Make two recipes using American Lamb. One of your lamb meals should be shared with another family. Share your two lamb meal recipes on Instagram using the #TheLambChallenge and tag @FanofLamb by June 30. Ten lucky winners who complete the challenge will receive a $200 gift certificate to their favorite restaurant or butcher shop. For every person that completes the challenge, The American Lamb Board will donate to Feeding America so together we can raise $10,000!

Some tips before we start cooking:

Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 30 minutes before grilling. This helps them come closer to room temperature and they just cook more evenly with tender results. I’ve used loin chops today but shoulder chops and even cubed kabob meat are widely available in grocery stores and perfect for this recipe. If using kabob meat, marinate and skewer before grilling.

These are best grilled over medium heat since mustard tends to darken quickly. Keep that in mind when preparing your grill or indoor grill skillet.

Swap out the tomato salad for any salad made with produce locally available to you. Sliced cucumbers and thinly sliced summer squash or zucchini are great options. If fresh produce isn’t available, jarred roasted red bell peppers or artichokes to top the greens work wonderfully. Experiment with flavors that you love, that is the joy of cooking!

Triple Mustard Lamb Loin ChopsPrep
Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Serves: 8 (Enough for two families)

8-10 American lamb loin chops

For the marinade:
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice + zest
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
4 garlic cloves, very finely minced or made into a paste
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
Optional: 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder

For the salad:
4 large tomatoes, sliced
½ small red onion, thinly sliced
1 cup fresh herbs (basil, rosemary, thyme, dill or parsley)
Optional: olives, feta cheese, cucumber
Vinaigrette:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Place lamb in a shallow container that has a lid or a sheet pan that you can cover. Combine ingredients for marinade and pour over lamb, turning and coating. Cover and refrigerate for one hour or up to overnight. If sharing this meal with another family, divide the lamb by placing half of the chops in a container and keep in the fridge until ready to deliver.

Preheat your grill to medium and spray with some olive oil spray. Place lamb chops on the grill or grill pan and cook for 5 minutes per side for medium-rare depending on the thickness of your chops. Lamb loin chops are sturdy and can be placed standing up (on the bone) as well, to ensure that the thickest part of the chop is cooked. They should be 135F when pulled from the grill for medium-rare, which we feel is the best temperature to enjoy them.

Remove from the grill and tent with foil, then allow to rest for 10 minutes. The temperature will then climb to about 145F. A meat thermometer is the best way to determine doneness. American Lamb has a lot of useful information on cooking temperatures based on the cut of lamb you have. Please check them out here.

Slice your tomatoes, season with salt and pepper then top with thinly sliced red onion and optional add-ons. Drizzle with the vinaigrette and top with herbs right before serving alongside lamb. If sharing with another family, place the whole tomatoes, onion and herbs in the basket with the marinated lamb and add half of the vinaigrette in a jar with instructions on how to serve. Easy!

This blog post was created in partnership with American Lamb but all opinions expressed are my own.