I have to admit that I only started to eat lamb recently. And when I say recently, I actually mean the last year or so. As a matter of fact, the change happened during our Sifnos trip. All it took was a few days on the Greek island for me to fall in love with their traditional lamb recipe called mastello. If you've never heard of this dish, then you should know that mastello is a slow-cooked oven-baked lamb shank which, for me, was actually a door opener for other meals with this protein.

However, up until now, we didn't have the courage to prepare a homemade mastello, but we did experiment a lot with lamb chop recipes. We grilled, baked, and pan-fried lamb chops. The result? Well, we loved them each and every time. Even so, one of our household's top hits is a dish that contains some divine and juicy oven-baked lamb chops, a creamy potato mash, and a refreshing mixture of yogurt and cucumber.

So, if this sounds appealing, let me tell you how to prepare this at home and impress everyone seated at your dinner table.

• The first thing you'll need to do is to make a marinade. So, combine the olive oil with paprika, garlic powder, dry thyme, cumin, zest, and juice from half a lemon, salt, and pepper. Pour the marinade on your chops, massage them gently, so they are fully coated, then let them rest overnight in the fridge.

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• The next day, place the chops in a non-stick deep oven tray, then return your focus to the marinade that you've left behind. Combine it with the brown sugar, plus the zest and juice from half a lemon. Mix everything, then pour it over the lamb chops.

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• Add the fresh herbs, cover the tray with tinfoil, then place it in the preheated oven at 160 degrees Celsius (320 F) for 1 hour.
• After one hour, remove the tinfoil, increase the temperature to 200 degrees Celsius (400 F) and let them roast for 15 minutes.

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Even though I describe the steps separately, I do suggest you start making the mashed potatoes and the salad/sauce as soon as you place your lamb chops in the oven. This being said, let's continue with a very important question - how to make mashed potatoes? Well, I am sure that each and every household has its own way of preparing this dish. It's a very personal recipe that it's very much connected to one's childhood. At least this is how I perceive mashed potatoes. Anyway, long story short, this is how I like to play with the dish.

• Peel and chop the potatoes into big chunks. Add them in a pot with salted water and boil them until fork tender. This should probably take you somewhere between 20 and 30 minutes. When ready, discard the water and start mashing.
• Heat up the milk and the butter. You don't want them to be boiling hot. It's enough for the butter to melt.
• Incorporate the dairy into the mash and continue stirring. Give it a taste and add more seasoning if needed.

The final part of this meal is the yogurt and cucumber salad. Of course, you can also call it a sauce. Anyway, regardless of what you call it, I can promise you that you will absolutely love it.

• Slice your cucumber into thin slices and sprinkle some salt on them. This will help them lose their water faster. Let them rest for 5 minutes.
• While this happens, mix the Greek yogurt with olive oil, sugar, vinegar, grated garlic, salt, black pepper, and fresh chili.
• Take a paper towel and press it gently on the cucumber slices to remove the excess water, then transfer them into your yogurt mixture bowl.
• Chop the mint and dill and bring them to the party.

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• Stir to combine, cover with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for at least one hour.

And this is everything. I know that there are multiple components, and it might sound like a complicated meal, but it's actually super simple. It will just take a little over an hour to produce this feast. And yes, it's worth it.

So, to answer some questions that you might have while looking for recipes with lamb chops. This is not the only dish you can make using lamb chops. As I said at the beginning of the article, we tend to cook them in all possible ways and love them all. But these are indeed one of the best oven-baked lamb chops without searing I've ever had. Plus, they are super easy to make and therefore are perfectly suited for a weeknight as well as a fancier dinner.

Now, regarding the side dishes, for me, lamb chops and mashed potatoes are great. But if you don't like the combination, you can skip it. However, I strongly suggest you trust me on the yogurt and cucumber salad. It's simply delicious, and it has the power to compliment the lamb.

Finally, I really do hope that you'll try our Oven Baked Lamb Chops with Mashed Potatoes and Yogurt Salad, and when you do, you'll give us an Instagram tag so we can see your feedback.