OTQ On the Grill - Part 1

These delicious cuts of lamb, grilled and juicy whatever the season and served with bright pungent Greek style nutty mash and a punchy salsa verde are sure to wow your guests. This earthy slightly crunchy lusciously coloured mash is made with lots of roasted almonds and garlic. It can alternatively be loosened to tangy creamy deliciousness and served as a dip with charred flatbreads.

All nuts need a bit of toasting to bring out their true flavour, don’t forget to give them a little time in a dry hot pan or oven before using.



450 gm Lamb Rack or 5-6 Lamb Cutlets

Salt & Pepper

4 Whole Garlic Cloves

1 x Medium Beetroot

3-4 Boiling Potatoes [I used Nadine]

120gms [just under 1 cup] Blanched Almonds – lightly toasted

Zest & Juice of a Large Lemon

300 gms Black cherry tomatoes

1 Clove Black garlic

A small handful of Fresh Mint

A large handful of Flat Leaf Parsley

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp Honey

1 x Anchovy Fillet

1 tsp Capers

30mls Red wine vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive oil

A sprinkling of toasted Slithered Almonds to serve

Greek Yogurt to serve

Charred Flatbreads optional

FOR THE SKORDALIA

Peel and chop the potatoes and beetroot and cook with three whole garlic cloves in salted water until softened.

Drain, squeeze flesh from garlic, discarding skins and place everything in a blender. Blitz until combined.

Add toasted almonds, lemon juice, lemon zest, a slosh of olive oil and a little water, season and blitz again until combined and almonds are broken down to small nutty chunks. Taste to check seasoning and keep warm.



FOR THE BLACK GARLIC SALSA VERDE

Place the black garlic, red wine vinegar, mustard, honey, anchovy, capers, parsley and mint with a good slosh of olive oil in a small food processor and blitz until it turns an even green colour. Taste, adjust seasoning, add more olive oil or vinegar to suit, blitz again and set aside for flavours to meld.



TO COOK THE LAMB

Heat a BBQ or cast iron grill pan. Season the lamb both sides, drizzle with a little olive oil and grill both sides. Set aside to rest.



TO SERVE

Dollop a large amount of the Skordalia on a serving plate, top with the chargrilled lamb. Sprinkle with toasted almonds and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve with the salsa verde on the side and maybe a dollop of Greek yogurt [optional].



TO MAKE SKORDALIA DIP

At the blending stage, loosen mixture further with chilled water, lemon juice and olive oil to taste and a little scraping of fresh crushed garlic. Season well with salt & pepper.

Place flatbreads or flour tortillas on a hot BBQ grill or cast iron pan & toast until beginning to char.

Serve Skordalia in a shallow dish with a dollop of Greek yogurt, extra olive oil, a sprinkle of lemon zest and a scattering of toasted slivered almonds.