Lamb cutlets and salsa verde potatoes

Little lamb chops, crisped but pink inside, and potatoes with a herby dressing for an easy spring dinner.

The recipe

Boil 350g of waxy, yellow-fleshed potatoes in boiling, salted water until tender.

Make a green sauce by putting the following ingredients into a blender: 10 basil leaves, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 4 anchovy fillets, 6g tarragon leaves (a palmful), 10g parsley, 4 cornichons, 2 tsp capers and 2 tsp of smooth mustard. Add a peeled clove of garlic, 125ml of olive oil and a tbsp of water. Process to a smooth, thick dressing.

Get a griddle or oven grill hot. Brush 3 lamb cutlets per person lightly with oil and season with just a little salt. Let the cutlets cook on or under the grill until the outside is lightly crisp and the flesh inside is rose pink.

While the cutlets cook, drain the potatoes, slice them in half lengthways, then put them in a mixing bowl. Pour over the herb dressing and toss them gently to coat. Serve with the lamb. Serves 2

The trick

The potatoes will be all the more delicious if you toss them in the dressing while they are still warm. They seem to soak up more dressing that way. Once drained, I like to slice them straight into the green sauce. It is preferable to bring the lamb to cool room temperature before you put it on the grill. If I am cooking the cutlets on the griddle, I like to hold each cutlet on its side with a pair of tongs, holding the edge of the fat firmly down on the bars of the griddle, to help it to crisp.

The twist

Potatoes are just a start. Green beans, boiled gnocchi or steamed Jerusalem artichokes work superbly in the dressing, as will pretty much any pasta. I have used them underneath large sautéed mushrooms, too, the wide, flat ones as big as the palm of my hand.

READ MORE FROM SOURCE: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2020/apr/14/nigel-slater-midweek-dinner-lamb-cutlets-boiled-potatoes-salsa-verde