Rosemary Lamb Chops with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

Ingredients

• 8 lamb chops
• 700 g baby potatoes, halved
• salt and black pepper
• 3 tbsp garlic-infused olive oil
• 3 tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tsp dried rosemary
• 2 spring onions, green tops only, sliced
• 1 lemon, zested and juiced
• 15g flat-leaf parsley, chopped
• Dressed rocket salad with shaved parmesan, to serve
• Crusty ciabatta, to serve

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C. Toss the halved baby potatoes with 1 tbsp garlic-infused oil, the dried rosemary, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper — season properly now, you can't fix a bland potato later. Spread them cut-side down on a tray in a single layer with space between them. Crowded potatoes steam instead of crisping. Roast for 35–40 minutes until deeply golden, crisp at the edges and tender through the middle.
2. While the potatoes roast, mix the remaining 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil with the chopped fresh rosemary, lemon zest and a good pinch of salt. Rub the mixture all over the lamb chops and leave them out of the fridge for 15 minutes to take the chill off — a cold chop hits a hot pan and seizes up grey instead of browning.
3. Pat the chops dry with kitchen paper before they go near heat — water means steam, and steam means no crust. Season generously with salt and pepper on both sides.
4. Heat a griddle or heavy frying pan over very high heat until it's smoking — you want a proper sear, and that needs a stainless or cast iron surface that can take the punishment. Lay the chops down in two batches, four at a time. Crowd the pan and the temperature drops, the meat sweats, and you've stewed your lamb instead of searing it. Cook for 3–4 minutes per side for blushing pink in the middle, or a minute longer each side if you prefer them more done. Press the fatty edge against the pan for the last minute to render and crisp it — that's where the flavour lives.
5. Lift the chops onto a warm plate and rest for 5 minutes. The juices need this time to settle back through the meat — cut early and they end up on the board, not in the chop. Taste a piece of crackling fat and a corner of potato now: adjust salt before plating, not at the table.
6. Pile the roasted potatoes onto plates and lay the lamb chops over the top. Squeeze the lemon juice over everything — the acid cuts through the rendered lamb fat and lifts the rosemary. Scatter generously with the green spring onion tops and chopped parsley, and bring it to the table straight away.