Festive season "easy" lamb with baby potatoes and peas

This is a Jamie Oliver inspired dish which I have slightly tweaked and which is quick, easy and ideal to serve up during the festive season if you can’t be bothered with all the usual trimmings – it is “no-fuss” and looks great when served

We don’t use a leg of lamb but rather lamb fillet or lamb backstrap – both are cooked very quickly, then rested and ready to eat and so yummy and tender. If you can’t find either of these cuts of lamb at your butcher or supermarket, use lamb rump which is another lovely cut

Baby potatoes, the waxy ones, and peas pair so well together and steamed snow peas adds another vibrant green as well as a beautiful fresh addition. Final touches are basil, mint or balsamic glaze and pesto (if you are not a pesto fan, mint jelly also works well. Final option is your favourite salad leaves – if you can find some beetroot leaves as part of the salad greens, they are so colourful as well as being great to eat

There you go, too easy and so festive if you are serving this dish during the festive season – I actually love it all year round. All cooked in just over 20 minutes!

Ingredients

700 gms baby new potatoes – Baby Perlas in a 700 gm packet are ideal

250 gms frozen peas – I love the baby peas and for this recipe the minted ones work really well

600 gms of lamb fillet (if you can get it) or lamb backstrap –if neither is available at your butchers or supermarket use lamb rump

Red wine vinegar -dash

5-6 sprigs of fresh basil

2 heaped tablespoons of pesto. If you don’t like pesto, you can use some mint jelly or balsamic glaze if you prefer– did you know that basil and mint are from the same food family, there you go!

2 packets snow peas

Salad greens (optional)

Cooking instructions 

1. Halve any larger potatoes, then cook in a pan of boiling salted water for 12 or so minutes, or until tender, adding the peas to the party for just the last 2 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, rub the lamb all over with 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and a pinch of sea salt and black pepper.
3. Heat a non-stick frypan to med-hot and cook the lamb fillet for 2 minutes on each side or slightly longer if you prefer your lamb cooked more than medium rare. If you are using backstrap 3 and a tad minutes each side does the trick- remove to a plate to rest, covering with tinfoil
4. In the meantime bring a pot of water with some salt to the boil and drop in the snow peas for 2 minutes – drain and freshen in cold or icy water. Put aside
5. Using the frypan you cooked the lamb in, on a low heat, make a liquor by stirring in a splash of water and a little red wine vinegar to pick up all those nice sticky bits, leaving it to tick away slowly until needed.
6. Drain the potatoes and peas, tip into the liquor pan, pick over most of the basil, add the snow peas and the pesto (or mint jelly/balsamic glaze) and toss it all well.
7. Serve with the lamb, sliced thinly, then pour over the resting juices. Pick over the remaining basil leaves
8. If you are adding salad leaves, do so, tossing them with your favourite dressing

Serves 4