Lamb, at least in my house, is kind of a forgotten protein. I eat tons of seafood, chicken, steak and pork, but I don’t often buy lamb. So, I can’t say why I was inspired to pick it up when I saw it at the grocery store this weekend, but I can say that I’ll be integrating these delicious kofta into my weeknight dinner rotation from here on out.
I’d never made kofta before I experimented with these guys, but they came out great on the first try and I haven’t changed a thing about my recipe since I initially made them. They’re flavorful, but not overpowering, and they pair perfectly with the roasted vegetables, which provide the perfect combination of flavor and texture to enhance this dish – the sweet potatoes are wonderfully sugary, the parsnips are tangy and earthy, and the fennel is so distinctly exotic in flavor and fragrance…you honestly don’t even need to add the yogurt sauce or parsley pesto that I used to top this dish, but they really do take it over the top and make the meal something really unique and special.
If you’re in the market for some food inspo to get you our of your pasta/chicken/leftovers rut, try cooking this dish! The kofta took no time at all and the whole meal was a nice departure from my standard weeknight dinners. Here’s how to put it together:
Spiced Lamb Kofta With Roasted Root Vegetables
Ingredients
Lamb kofta
- 1 lb ground lamb
- 2 large cloves grated garlic
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp crushed chili flakes
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/4 tsp cumin
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
Roasted Root Vegetables
- 2 sweet potatoes peeled, sliced into 1/2' rounds
- 1 parsnip peeled, sliced into 1/2" rounds
- 1 fennel bulb sliced
- olive oil, salt and pepper
Yogut Sauce
- 6oz plain Greek yogurt
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
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Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.
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While the oven heats up, prep your veggies by slicing them and dressing them with olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange the veggies in a single layer on a baking sheet.
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Pop the veggies in the oven and roast for 25 minutes, stirring once about halfway through.
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While the veggies roast, heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium high heat with 2 tabslespoons of olive oil. Combine all of the ingredients for the Kofta in a mixing bowl and use your hands to combine. Form the kofta into logs – 1 lb of meat yields 6-8 logs.
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Drop the logs into the hot pan and cook for 3-4 minutes per side, until the outside of the logs are charred and browned and the meat is cooked through.
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Just before the veggies finish, while the meat rests, combine the ingredients for the yogurt sauce.
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Serve the kofta and veggies with a drizzle of the yogurt sauce and any other garnishes you like. I use homemade parsley pesto and pomegranate seeds.