Now that spring has sprung, here’s something delicious and easy to prepare that will impress. Marinating the lamb for a few hours with fresh mint, garlic, sherry vinegar and olive oil, infuses the meat beautifully as all the flavors compliment each other really well.

If you’re not in the UK, I recommend using Australian or New Zealand lamb as it has a better flavor and more tenderness than US lamb, in my opinion. Costco sells wonderful lamb from down-under.

For the roasted vegetables, I used baby red beets, baby potatoes and tiny carrots and if Jersey Royal potatoes are in season in the UK, the better still! Otherwise, any variety of small potato will work well and the same goes for those little rainbow-colored beets, if you can find them.

Minted Lamb with Roasted Baby Vegetables

LAMB CUTLETS with FRESH MINT, GARLIC & ROASTED BABY ROOT VEGETABLES

(Serves 2)

Ingredients:

0.7 oz (20g) of fresh mint leaves, chopped

2 tablespoons of sherry vinegar

2 fat cloves of garlic, chopped

3 tablespoons of extra-v olive oil

4 good sized lamb chops or 8 small cutlets

8 oz (200g) of baby potatoes

8 oz (200g) of small beets, trimmed and scrubbed clean

8 oz (200g) of baby carrots, trimmed and washed if necessary

Sea salt, freshly ground black pepper

Action:

Start by combining half the chopped mint, half the garlic, the sherry vinegar and two tablespoons of olive oil and place this in a sealed container or plastic bag with the lamb. Season with salt and pepper then give everything a good shake to coat the lamb evenly. Marinade in the fridge for at least 2 hours and up to six.

Pre-heat the oven to 400F (200C).

Halve any larger potatoes and quarter the beets. Put them with the carrots in a shallow roasting tin, scatter with the remaining chopped garlic; drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Roast for 30-40 minutes until tender, turning at least once.

Now either fire up your BBQ grill or heat up a heavy pan on the stove until it’s really hot. Scrape most of the marinade off the lamb and set it aside. Sear the lamb on both sides, turning the chops until you’ve reached the desired doneness (I like mine pink in the middle, crisply caramelized on the outside).

Arrange the lamb on top of the vegetables; heat up the marinade briefly and pour it over the lamb. Finish with a scattering of the remaining mint leaves to serve.