Lamb treat for springtime ...

Ingredients

800g cannon of lamb/Sea salt & black pepper/Vegetable oil/butter

Pea Purée

300g frozen peas/1 finely diced banana shallot/20g butter/Sea salt & black pepper

Mint Salsa Verde

Olive oil/50g finely chopped mint/1 heaped tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley/1 heaped tbsp rinsed & finely chopped capers/Pinch of crushed chilli flakes/3-4 rinsed and finely chopped tinned anchovies/2 finely chopped garlic cloves

Hasselback Potatoes

Approx. 16 large, New Jersey Royals (Or similar)/50g butter/olive oil/sea salt/rosemary & thyme

Roast Vine Tomatoes

Large bunch of vine tomatoes/1tbsp balsamic vinegar/olive oil/sea salt & ground black pepper

Method

Hasselback Potatoes

Preheat the oven to 185’C / Gas Mark 5.

To ensure you don’t slice through the potatoes place each potato in the “well” of a wooden spoon and cut across the potato at intervals of approx. 2-3 mm.

Once the potatoes have been sliced place a roasting tin on the hob, add the butter and oil and heat. Carefully add the potatoes and spoon the fat over them until they start to brown and then, ensuring all the potatoes are sliced side up, sprinkle with salt and place in the oven for approx. 1hr 15mins. Add rosemary & thyme after an 1hr.

Mint Salsa Verde

Combine the mint, parsley, capers, chilli flakes, anchovies, and garlic. Drizzle with oil until quite loose and combine with a fork.

Pea Purée

In a pan, melt the butter and sweat off the finely diced shallot ensuring it does not colour. Once soft remove the pan from the heat and set to one side.

Boil peas in salted water for approx. 3 mins then drain, reserving some hot water.

Add the peas and shallots to a blender along with a little of the reserved hot water. Blend together for 2-3 minutes adding a little more water as needed.

Lamb

During the final stages of the cooking process place a frying pan on the hob over a medium-high heat and also place a roasting tin in the oven. Rub the lamb in the oil, season and then, when the frying pan is hot add the lamb and the butter, baste until all sides are seared. Then, remove the hot roasting tin from the oven, place the meat into the tin and roast for approx. 12 minutes, resting for 5 minutes.

Roast Vine Tomatoes

Place the tomatoes in a roasting dish, drizzle with oil and balsamic vinegar, lightly season and then, during the last 15 minutes of the potatoes roasting time place the tomatoes in the oven.