Lamb chops with mint sauce and crushed peas

Like many New Zealanders, lamb and peas are a combination we have grown up with. We miss those flavours when we are away, so when we return after an absence, you are likely to see us at the supermarket checking out whether lamb is on special. A favourite way to eat it is to marinate the lamb chops in a good mint sauce, then grill them in the oven. The sugar in the mint sauce caramelises and gets sticky and the vinegar helps to make the lamb tender. We like to roughly mash the peas so they still have some texture to them.

Ingredients

4	Lamb shoulder chops (Main)

Marinade

2 Tbsp	Olive oil
⅓ cup	Honey
½ cup	Fresh mint, chopped
2 Tbsp	White wine vinegar
½ tsp	Salt

Crushed peas

2 cups	Frozen peas
3	Mint leaves, finely chopped
25 g	Butter
½ tsp	Salt
½ tsp	Pepper
2 Tbsp	Creme fraiche

Directions

1. Mix together all marinade ingredients and cover the lamb with it. Leave to marinate for 1 hour or overnight.
2. Preheat the oven to 190C. Place the lamb chops in a roasting tray and cook for 7 minutes then turn over and cook for a further 7 minutes or until cooked through.
3. Blanch the peas for 5 minutes, drain and add the mint to the peas. Using a potato masher, lightly crush the peas with the butter and season with salt and pepper.
4. To serve, cover the peas with a dollop of the creme fraiche and plate with the lamb chops.

See more of Karena and Kasey's classic Kiwi recipes

• Fish and horopito chips
• Hazelnut and chocolate pavlova roll