lamb loin with pommes Anna potatoes, olive caramel, pea purée, and spring vegetables

Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

Start by making the pommes Anna potatoes. Slice the potatoes thinly, ideally on a mandolin, then put on a lined medium-sized baking tin. Put the butter, thyme and garlic in a saucepan and heat until the butter has melted. Pour the melted butter over the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and mix well. Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes – you want the top of the potato to be slightly golden and be able to pierce with a skewer.

Once cooked, place a sheet of greaseproof paper on top, then put something heavy on the potatoes to press it firmly down. Refrigerate until it has completely cooled, ideally overnight. When cooled, take out of the tin and cut into rectangles roughly 2-3cm wide and 6-7cm in length.

To prepare the vegetables, steam or boil the carrots for four minutes and plunge into cold water. When cooled, slice them in half at an angle and
put them in a pan. Add 250g of peas and broad beans to the pan and set aside. Top and tail the leek, slice on an angle, and steam/boil for four minutes, then cool.

Make the pea purée by bringing the remaining 250g of peas to a boil in salted water and cook. Strain off most of the water and blend with a knob of butter, then pass through a fine sieve. Set aside.

For the olive caramel, simply place the sugar in a heavy based pan, add a splash of water, and boil until the sugar starts to caramelise. Add the olives, then blend and pass through a fine sieve ready for later.

Season the lamb loin with salt and pepper and roast it in the oven for 10-15 minutes, depending on how rare you want it, and rest it for five minutes once cooked. Put the leeks and pommes Anna on a tray and bake in the oven with the lamb.

While they are cooking, heat the peas, broad beans and carrots.

Put the pommes Anna on the plate, arrange the leeks around the plate and dot on the pea purée and olive caramel. Slice the lamb and place neatly on the plate along with the peas, broad beans and carrots.

Garnish with the chervil and serve with a lamb jus.