Nigel Slater’s grilled lamb cutlets, peas and rocket recipe

[D J C]

 

Blend peas and rocket for a tasty sauce to go with lamb

The recipe
Bring a medium-sized saucepan of water to the boil. Add 150g of peas and leave them for 3 or 4 minutes until tender.

Lightly season and oil 6 large lamb cutlets. Place them on a griddle pan or cook under a hot grill until the underside is golden brown and lightly crisp. Turn and cook the other side.

 

Thinly slice 6 radishes. Wash 2 large handfuls of pea shoots and shake them dry. When the peas are ready, drain in a colander and transfer them to a blender or food processor. Add 120ml of olive oil and 30g of rocket leaves. Process to a smooth, thick, green sauce. Stir in 1 tbsp of capers and check the seasoning.

When the cutlets are ready, serve with the pea and rocket sauce, and the radishes and pea shoots.

 

The trick
The exact timing of the lamb cutlets will depend on how thick they are and how well done you like your lamb. For cutlets approximately 3cm thick, allow a good 3 minutes on each side for rose-pink flesh. It is worth resting them briefly after cooking, although I can rarely wait more than a minute or two. If you are using fresh peas cook them approximately twice as long.

 

The twist
You could use broad beans instead of peas. They will need a slightly longer time in the boiling water – depending on their size, they should be done in 5-7 minutes. They may need a little more oil. You can embellish the pea sauce with a few appropriate herbs. Mint is my first choice here, finely chopped.

 

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