ingredients
2 x 350-400 gram lamb rumps
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
watercress to serve
Pea purée
1½ cups peas
2 eggs, soft boiled and peeled
2 tablespoons chopped mint
1 teaspoon butter
¼ cup chicken stock, warm
¼ cup canola oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Relish
1 lemon
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped red onion
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
pinch dried chilli flakes
1 teaspoon honey
Method
Preheat the oven to 200˚C.
Purée: Cook the peas in boiling salted water until tender. Drain and refresh in cold water and drain again. Place in a food processor with the eggs, mint, butter and stock. Blend until smooth then, with the motor running, drizzle in the oil to make a thick purée. Season.
Relish: Trim the ends off the lemon and cut into quarters. Remove the white core and any pips and slice thinly (including the skin).
Heat the oil in a small sauté pan and cook the onion, garlic and chilli for 2 minutes. Increase the heat, add the honey and lemon slices and cook for 2-3 minutes until the lemon is lightly caramelized and tender. Season and transfer to a bowl. If the relish is too tart, stir in a little more honey while still hot. Cool.
Lamb: Heat a little olive oil in an ovenproof sauté pan. Season the lamb and quickly brown on all sides. Transfer to the oven and roast for 20 minutes for medium-rare lamb. Remove the lamb to a plate, cover loosely and rest for 10 minutes.
To assemble: Reheat the purée and spoon onto plates. Slice the lamb thinly and arrange on top. Garnish with a spoonful of lemon relish and watercress.
Cook’s tip:
To softboil: put the eggs in a saucepan of cold water and bring to the boil. Boil for 4 minutes then drain and cool under cold running water.