Rosemary Lamb Chops with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes

• 8lamb chops, about 150 g each (1.2 kg total, weighed with bone)
• 700 gbaby potatoes, halved
• salt and black pepper
• 3 tbspgarlic-infused olive oil
• 10 gfresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
• 2 tspdried rosemary
• 15 gsliced green spring onion tops (from about 2 spring onions)
• 1lemon, zested and juiced
• 15 gflat-leaf parsley, chopped
• 200 grocket, dressed with 1 tbsp olive oil and 1 tbsp lemon juice, plus 30 g shaved parmesan (optional)

Method

1. 1Preheat 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. 2While the potatoes roast, mix the remaining 2 tbsp garlic-infused oil with the chopped rosemary, lemon zest and a pinch of salt. Pat the lamb chops dry, then rub with the rosemary oil.
3. 3Begin cooking the chops during the final 25 minutes of the potatoes roasting. Season the chops with black pepper.
4. 4Heat a heavy frying pan or griddle over a high heat. Cook the chops in two batches of four for about 3–4 minutes per side, depending on thickness and how well done you like them. Hold the fatty edges against the pan for about 1 minute to brown them. Keep the first batch loosely covered on a warm plate while the second cooks.
5. 5Lift 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.
6. 6Pile 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, with the optional dressed rocket if using.

Per serving

kcal

877

protein

44.6g

fibre

4.5g

carbs

31.7g

fat

64.6g