Herby lentils with lamb

We are currently living in a small flat with a tiny kitchen and very little cupboard space, which means buying in bulk is impossible. As a consequence I have become a master of meal planning. It is decidedly unspontaneous, but it means we don’t waste food OR fridge and cupboard space . In addition, all of my cook books are still in storage so apps have become my new bookshelf. The Jamie Oliver 20 minute dinner app is a real winner. One week we ate five Jamie Oliver dinners. Needless to say, they take more than 20 mins, but the inspiration is fantastic.

Zach refused to eat the lentils the first few times I made this, which was very annoying because he eats lentil soup (will post this another day). Then a few weeks ago we went to Lemonia for dinner and while the kids refused to eat the yemista I ordered for them, they both lapped up Chloe’s side of lentils. Hmph, I thought.

So I decided to try again and I made this last week, Zach once again refused to eat the lentils. However, I insisted he at least try and finish one mouthful or he wouldn't be allowed to play with the iPad after dinner. Yes, bribes are the order of the day/hour/minute. Well, his eyes opened in surprise and he proceeded to demolish his dinner in record time and was very proud of his ‘wow plate’. He then announced this was his favourite dinner and could I please cook it again tomorrow. Zachie, Zachie so contrary.

You will need

Lentils of your choice, boiled until cooked but firm to bite. I like puy, but green are fine too. (NB: As part of the 20min dinner thing, Jamie uses tinned green lentils).

1 garlic clove, crushed.

Creme fraiche. A couple of tablespoons

Zest of a lemon.

1 red chilli, de-seeded and finely sliced.

An assortment of herbs: flat leaf parsley, basil, mint, coriander etc, leaves pulled off and roughly chopped.

Baby English spinach

Lamb cut of your choice. I use French-trimmed cutlets for the kids as they’re easy to pick up. Back straps are always good as are lamb chops. If you want to make this for a bigger group a butterfied leg of lamb on the BBQ or a deboned and rolled shoulder would be delicious.

Assuming everything is prepped as per the ingredients list, it will take you about ten minutes to prepare.

I would season and cook the lamb first. I rub oil and salt into the cutlets and then pan fry or griddle on a really hot pan for a few minutes one each size. I like the kids to have them medium rare as they’re much more tender that way and it’s really only been the past six months that Zach has eaten red meat with gusto, having found it hard to chew previously.

Once it’s cooked to your liking, set it aside to rest and then get on with assembling the lentils.

Heat some olive oil in a pan. Add the garlic and when its on the cusp of turning golden throw in the cooked lentils. Stir them around until the lentils have warmed up and then stir through the creme fraiche and lemon zest. At this point I tend to take out lentils for each of the kids, then add the chilli and herbs to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

For the kids I’ll plate the lentils with the lamb and add some cherry tomatoes and steamed broccoli and beans for colour.

For us, I’ll stir some spinach through the lentils and serve as above