Ingredients
600g new potatoes, scrubbed and halved, if large
15g butter
25g fresh mint, leaves picked and chopped
4 x 150g lamb steaks
300g cherry tomatoes on the vine
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp white wine
2 tbsp white wine vinegar
2 tsp caster sugar
200g fresh or frozen peas
Method
1. Cook the new potatoes in boiling, lightly salted water for 15 minutes, until tender. Drain well and return to the pan. Add the butter and some of the chopped mint. Season well and toss together.
2. Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high. Pop the lamb steaks on the grill rack or a baking tray and season. Cook under the hot grill for 8 minutes, turning halfway, or until tender and cooked medium. Add the tomatoes for the last 2 minutes and grill until blistered. Set aside for 5 minutes, then snip the tomatoes into 4 small sprigs.
3. While the steaks are cooking, place the honey, wine, vinegar and sugar in a small pan. Bring to the boil and cook for 1 minute. Pour into a large jug and allow to cool.
4. Cook the peas in boiling water for 2-3 minutes or until just tender. Drain and cool slightly. Stir into the vinegar mixture, along with the remaining mint. Season to taste.
5. Divide the honey and minted peas between 4 shallow bowls or plates. Add the lamb steaks and cherry tomato sprigs and serve with the minted new potatoes.
Now, bear in mind that in those last five minutes of the cooking process, you are 1) boiling the wine and honey mixture, 2) finishing off the lamb steaks, 3) cooking the peas and 4) messing around with tomatoes. Actually, of course, real life intervenes and you end up doing it seriatim rather than simultaneously. But timing is not crucial, and everything can be kept warm.
The other thing to say is that 25g of mint leaves is a lot of mint, and in fact takes up more volume than 200 g of peas when you first start mixing them.
We needed an extra vegetable dish as well; the peas alone were not really enough. Otherwise, and with a sensible approach to timing, this worked out well, though it's not spectacular. The lightly grilled tomatoes are a very nice touch.