Lamb Skewers, Halloumi, Orange Mint Dressing

If like me you are a big lamb fan then these delicious and easy lamb skewers are going to be a new regular! Simply skewer up some lamb & halloumi, grill these bad boys and drizzle them with a simple chilli, orange & mint dressing. Better yet - grab a pita and you don't need a knife/fork 😉

sponsored by Thistledown Wines, Mclaren Vale

Why You Need This Recipe!

• quick to make
• simple & easy to find ingredients
• feeds a crowd

If it's minimum preparation and maximum flavour you are looking for along with a photography worthy plate of food then look no further than these simple lamb skewers! Ready in under 30 minutes and will feed the growing vultures aka children that are constantly circling the fridge! Whether it's a warm summers BBQ out on the deck or a cooler evening these are perfect any day/night of the week.

Making The Skewers

Meat on a stick! Does it get better? Simply skewer whatever meat you are enjoying onto a skewer, add some cheese or vegetables, season it and grill it. It's that easy! Plus, they are great for feeding a crowd too!

Simply slice the lamb & halloumi into similar sized pieces, say 2cm cubes. Cutting them the same size is key so that you have even cooking. Nothing worse than a few tough or raw pieces! Then just simply skewer them - I went with 3 pieces of lamb per 1 piece of halloumi per skewer.

Hit them with some salt (not too much as halloumi can be quite salty) and some oil.

What Cut Of Lamb Do I Use?

There are multiple cuts you can use when making lamb skewers. I personally prefer using boneless lamb leg as it has a good balance of fat : meat. It's not as tough as the shoulder and certainly less expensive than the backstrap/fillet.

The important thing is to cut the lamb for the skewers into similar sized pieces so that it cooks evenly.

If using the shoulder my advice is to marinade the lamb beforehand to tenderize it. A little lemon juice and yoghurt is a good place to start. First, cut the lamb and then mix it in the yoghurt mix for a minimum of 1 hour

Cooking The Lamb Skewers

This is the simple part! Once you have made your lamb skewers, drizzled a little oil and salted them all you need to do is add them to the grill. Technically, yes but there are a few things to do first.

1. Heat the grill - always heat your grill for 10 minutes prior to cooking
2. Clean your grill - once heated clean off any dirt/residue from the grates
3. Turn the flames down - once you are at a good temperature then turn the flames down (on a gas BBQ) so that you avoid flare-ups. On a coal BBQ, you would wait until your coals are a nice grey colour before adding the skewers.
4. Next, grill your lamb skewers. Do so by placing them on the direct heat for 2 minutes, flip them and cook for a further 2 minutes. It's that simple!

All that's left to do is drizzle them in the dressing, chuck them inside a pita and enjoy them with a glass of wine 😉

Orange, Chilli & Mint Dressing

A delicious and simple dressing that works beautifully with the grilled lamb skewers or over most grilled meats, vegetables and fish.

All you need is a handful of ingredients, dice them up finely, mix them together and job done!

When making a dressing that uses herbs it's best to make it as close to serving as possible so that the herbs stay nice and vibrant when you drizzle them over.

Wine Pairing

This lamb skewer dish is being paired with one of my favourite grapes - Grenache.

Grenache, known as Garnacha in Spain, Cannanou in Italy and Grenache Noir in France is a grape that is stunning on its own but often found blended with other varietals such as Shiraz, Mourvedre, Cinsault & Carignan to name a few. Hugely famous in the Rhone region of France and now too in Mclaren Vale.

Grenache has lovely red fruit & cherry flavours, notes of spice such as anise, cinnamon and black pepper along with characteristics like tobacco, licorice, dried herbs and orange notes.

Thistledown Wines

Thistledown Wines, Mclaren Vale is fast becoming a serious powerhouse in the world of Grenache. With awards like Hallidays "Best Australian Grenache" and having a 5-star rating with many scores of 95+ pts these guys not only know how to make good wine but if you look some pretty cool looking labels too!

"Every wine tells a tale" is a motto at Thistledown. When you take a minute to look at the packaging a read the story you realise there are many a tale to be told. Their grapes are meticulously chosen from top sites around Mclaren Vale - described as "Grand Cru Grenache" there is a huge sense of pride in every step of the process and want, no, need to do the grape growers proud for all their hard work.

Gorgeous Grenache

The gorgeous grenache range is for want of a better term their "entry-level range". I can assure you having tasted many a grenache across Australia there is nothing entry about these wines. Produced from Grenache grapes from the Mclaren & Riverland regions. Highly perfumed, violets, plum, strawberry and beautiful spice notes. It drinks like one glass isn't enough 😉

Alternative Lamb Dishes

Inspired by my delicious grilled lamb skewers and are itching to cook more lamb dishes? Check out these other recipes on my site to get the inspiration levels up 😉

Lamb mince, pumpkin & goat cheese tartlets

Slow-Cooked Moroccan Lamb

Lamb & Fennel Ragu

Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!!!