Lamb chops ready to grill

Americans don’t tend to think of mint as a savory seasoning. After all, it does go so nicely with chocolate.

In the rest of the world, however, it frequently appears on the dinner table. One reason is that its sweet-peppery freshness and deliciously pungent aroma does such a nice job of cutting through heavy and fatty foods, such as roasted meats. That’s why you’ll often see mint paired with roasted lamb.

But summer is here and nobody wants to crank up the oven to roast anything. So I came up with this simple, weeknight-friendly recipe for lamb chops that get topped with a tzatziki-like yogurt sauce flavored with fresh mint, lemon juice, garlic and shallot.

Best yet, though the recipe calls for stovetop cooking, these chops could just as easily be tossed on the grill. If so, aim for about 3 minutes per side.

Lamb Chops with Mint-Yogurt Sauce

1 cup plain Greek-style yogurt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 shallot, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Salt and ground black pepper

1 tablespoon ground cumin

12 lamb rib chops

2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

Heat the oven to 200 degrees.

In a medium bowl, combine the yogurt, mint, garlic, shallot and lemon juice. Mix well, then taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon ground black pepper and the cumin. Rub the mixture over both sides of each lamb chop.

In a large skillet over medium-high, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add half of the chops and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the chops to an oven-safe plate and place in the oven to keep warm. Repeat with the remaining tablespoon of oil and chops.

Serve the chops topped with the mint-yogurt sauce.

Yield: 4 servings

Approximate nutrition per serving: 310 calories, 14 grams fat (4 grams saturated, 41 percent fat calories), 37 grams protein, 9 grams carbohydrate, 130 milligrams cholesterol, 1 gram dietary fiber, 590 milligrams sodium.