This recipe celebrates some of the UK’s tastiest spring produce: wild garlic, that wonderfully whiffy foraged ingredient that fills the forest floor as the days get brighter, with wonderful Jersey Royals and lamb cutlets.
Ingredients
For the wild garlic pesto
- 120g/4oz
wild garlic leaves, blanched - 1
garlic clove, peeled and grated - 20g/¾oz
pine nuts, toasted - 200ml/7fl oz
olive oil - ½
lemon, zest only - 30g/1oz
parmesan cheese, grated - salt and pepper
For the grilled lamb chops and potatoes
- 6
lamb cutlets, French trimmed -
olive oil, to brush on the lamb - 200g/7oz pre-cooked Jersey Royals
- 30g/1oz
wild garlic leaves, washed
Method
For the wild garlic pesto, pick and wash the wild garlic leaves and blanch the leaves in a pan of boiling water for 30 seconds. Re-fresh in a bowl of ice-cold water. Squeeze out the excess water and roughly chop.
Add the leaves, garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, lemon zest and grated parmesan to the food processor and blend. Season with salt and pepper.
For the grilled lamb chops, heat a flat griddle pan and drizzle the chops with oil. Cook for two minutes on one side and turn over and cook for another 30 seconds. Allow the chops to rest.
While the lamb is resting, heat a medium frying pan and fry the potatoes with butter until golden-brown. Stir through the raw garlic leaves, and a tablespoon of the pesto, or more if you prefer.
To serve, put the potato salad in a serving bowl and pile the lamb chops on top. Put a little extra pesto on top if liked. Any remaining pesto can be kept in the fridge to use for another recipe.