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It will make your house smell but you will be happy. One-pan roast rack of lamb & green olive potatoes

This is a recipe for meat lovers. Lamb is fatty and that fat makes your house smell, not only whilst you’re cooking but when you wake up the next day its still there lingering around to remind you of your journey into meaty fatty joy.

I love lamb, I love lamb fat, it needs to be rendered but when it is the combination of the lovely sweet meat and the crispy fat is a thing of pure beauty. This recipe from BBC Good Food combines that with another guilty pleasure, crisp finely sliced potatoes and onions, oh be still my pounding heart!

Combine that with the fact that this is a genuine one-pan roast and you have a wonderful dish.

You could combine it with any vibrant green vegetable, tenderstem broccoli, green beans or chard would work well.


Ingredients

  • 1 rack of lamb (6 bones is ideal - no I would also ask them to french trim them particularly if you want to limit your fat intake)
  • 25g butter
  • 1 onion, finely sliced
  • 1 garlic clove, crushed
  • 1 anchovy, crushed using a pestle and mortar
  • small handful of rosemary springs, roughly chopped
  • 500g Maris Piper or King Edward potatoes, finely sliced (use a mandoline if you have one)
  • 10 pitted green olives, chopped
  • 100ml chicken or lamb stock


Method

  • STEP 1. Heat the oven to 210C/190C fan/gas 7. Generously season the lamb all over and heat the butter in a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Brown the lamb all over for 10-15 mins, especially the fat side. Remove and set aside on a plate.
  • STEP 2. Put the pan back on the heat and fry the onion for 5-7 mins until softened, then add the garlic, anchovy (if using) and rosemary, and fry for 2 mins more. Carefully arrange the potatoes in the pan with the olives, season, then turn them over so they’re fully coated in the mixture, then spread out in an even layer. Pour over the stock, then put in the oven for 30 mins until the potatoes start to crisp at the edges.
  • STEP 3. Sit the lamb on top of the potatoes, fat-side up, and drizzle over any of the juices from the plate. Put the pan back in the oven for 20 mins for lamb that’s rare, 25 mins for lamb that’s pink but cooked through, and 30 mins for well done. When the lamb is done to your liking, lift onto a carving board and leave to rest for 10 mins. During this time, put the potatoes back in the oven to make them extra crisp. Cut the lamb into chops and serve with the potatoes, the cavolo nero and parsley & caper dressing (see below).

Braised cavolo Nero


Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 garlic clove, finely sliced
  • ½ red chilli
  • 200g cavolo nero or kale, stalks removed and chopped
  • 100ml white wine


Method

  • STEP 1Heat half of the oil in a small pan with a lid over a medium heat and cook the garlic and chilli for 2 mins until the garlic starts to turn golden.
  • STEP 2Stir through the cavolo nero and season with salt. Splash in the wine and cover the pan, then leave over a low heat for 6-8 mins until the cavolo nero has wilted. Remove the piece of chilli. Drizzle over the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil and serve.


Parsley and caper dressing

(This could be replaced with your favourite salsa verde recipe. The mint in it will work well with the lamb)

Method

  • STEP 1. Finely chop the capers and parsley by hand.
  • STEP 2. Tip the chopped parsley and capers into a bowl and stir through the mustard, olive oil and vinegar to make a dressing. Alternatively, tip everything into a blitzer and blitz until it's as smooth as you want it. Serve with the lamb chops and potatoes. Will keep chilled for up to three days.

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