What Sauces Go Well With Grilled Lamb Chops

Pair grilled lamb chops with a complementary sauce for an easy but seemingly lavish meal.

Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines feature lamb in all its possible forms, including chops. The mild, delicate meat of the chop accepts flavors ranging from succulent to sweet, making it a good fit for many different types of sauces. Grilling lamb chops imparts a smoky, earthy flavor, so you should pair them with a sauce that can stand up to that characteristic.

Chutneys

Chutney, a chunky, raw sauce that combines fruits and herbs, tops a smoky grilled pork chop with a balancing brightness. Consider mango chutney with ginger, garlic, vinegar, brown sugar and red pepper flakes, or chopped plums with brown sugar, rosemary, cranberry sauce and brown sugar.

Reductions

Spoon a classic reduction over your grilled lamb chops for a timeless flavor combination. For example, make a red wine reduction using your favorite table wine, garlic, rosemary and lamb stock. Simmer the ingredients until they reduce in volume by about half -- hence the name. You can also make a reduction by combining balsamic vinegar, shallots and lamb or chicken stock. Reducing a sauces intensifies the ingredients, so while a reduction won't be thick, a drizzle over the lamb chops adds all the flavor you need.

Mint Sauces

A classic pairing, lamb and mint appears on many restaurant menus. You can create a restaurant-worthy mint sauce at home to go with your grilled lamb chops. A simple sauce combines fresh chopped mint with boiling water, cider vinegar and sugar. You can strain the sauce before serving or leave it be for a more rustic presentation.

Yogurt Sauces

Greeks frequently serve lamb with a variation of yogurt sauce. Use the thicker, tangier Greek yogurt for a more authentic preparation. Mix Greek yogurt with harissa or your favorite type of chili sauce and lemon juice for a spicy and tangy topping for your lamb chops. Or mix Greek oregano or dill, garlic, cucumbers, lemon juice and/or tahini into Greek yogurt for a tzatziki-inspired sauce. If you can't find Greek yogurt, strain regular yogurt in cheesecloth for 20 minutes before combining it with your desired ingredients.

Tags: lamb chops, Greek yogurt, brown sugar, grilled lamb, grilled lamb chops