Spiced lamb cutlets with crispy chickpeas

SERVES 4- 6

400g can chickpeas, drained

1 tsp paprika

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp each of fennel seeds, ground coriander, ground cumin, turmeric

8 thick- cut lamb cutlets, or

use lamb loin chops

1 cup cherry tomatoes

Handful of baby spinach leaves

1 tsp sea salt

½ cup plain yoghurt

Juice of ½ a lemon

Small handful each of mint

and coriander

1 Toss the drained chickpeas in paprika and 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and roast for 15-20 minutes at 180oC or until crispy. Set aside.

2 Mix the spices together. Heat your BBQ grill to medium-high and brush one side of the lamb cutlets with the remaining olive oil. Place on the grill, oiled side down, and cook until dark grill marks appear, then flip. Sprinkle the spices over the cooked side and continue cooking until any fat is rendered (it goes from white to clear) and the meat is medium-rare. This will depend on the thickness of your lamb, of course, and regular checking by pressing the meat to ensure it still has some “give” in it is important. Remove from the grill, sprinkle over more of the spice mix and leave to rest. The spices will meld nicely into the meat and will be warmed through to release their flavours.

3 Next, blister the tomatoes on the BBQ grill or a hot plate.

4 To serve: Scatter the spinach on a large serving plate. Add the chickpeas, tomatoes and your lamb and season it all with salt. Mix the yoghurt and lemon juice together, spoon this over and then scatter over the fresh herbs. Serve extra yoghurt dressing on the side.