Lamb Cutlets with Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables

Ingredients

• 12 lamb cutlets, French-trimmed
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• ½ tsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large aubergine, cut into 2cm chunks
• 2 courgettes, cut into 2cm rounds
• 2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into thick strips
• 2 red onions, cut into wedges
• 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 200g bulgur wheat
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 150g natural yoghurt, to serve
• 1 garlic clove, finely grated, to serve
• squeeze of lemon juice, to serve
• fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly torn, to serve
• fresh mint leaves, to serve
• extra virgin olive oil, to drizzle, to serve
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C fan. Tip the aubergine, courgettes, red peppers, red onions and unpeeled garlic onto a large roasting tray, drizzle with the olive oil and red wine vinegar, scatter over the thyme sprigs and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss and spread into a single layer — crowded vegetables steam, spaced ones char.
2. Roast for 25–30 minutes, turning once halfway, until the edges are deeply caramelised and the aubergine has collapsed and turned silky. If anything looks pale at the halfway turn, push it to the hotter outer edge of the tray.
3. Meanwhile, cook the bulgur wheat in well-salted water according to the packet instructions, then drain and tip straight into a bowl with the lemon zest, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil while still warm — hot grains drink up the dressing. Taste, season, and set aside.
4. Pat the lamb cutlets thoroughly dry with kitchen paper — water means steam, and steam means no char. Rub all over with the dried oregano, ground cumin, olive oil and a generous seasoning of salt and pepper, working the spices in so they bloom against the hot fat in the pan rather than tasting dusty.
5. Heat a large griddle or heavy frying pan over a high heat until properly smoking — if it isn't smoking, it isn't ready. Sear the cutlets in two batches, 2–3 minutes per side, until deeply charred outside and still blushing pink at the bone. Don't crowd the pan: all twelve at once and you'll boil them in their own juices.
6. Rest the lamb on a warm plate, loosely covered, for 5 minutes — the carryover finishes the cooking and the juices settle back into the meat instead of running onto the board.
7. Stir the grated raw garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice into the natural yoghurt, season to taste, and spread across the base of a large serving platter or individual plates.
8. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from their papery skins — they should be soft and sweet, nothing like the raw clove in the yoghurt — and stir through the vegetables. Taste the vegetables and the bulgur one more time; adjust the salt now, not at the table.
9. Spoon the bulgur alongside or beneath the vegetables, pile the roasted veg on top, then arrange the rested lamb cutlets over the lot. Scatter with torn flat-leaf parsley and fresh mint leaves, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and finish with a generous squeeze from a lemon wedge with the rest on the side.