Simple, Quick* and Tasty

* (Quick to prepare, but the potatoes take over an hour to cook)

My cooking seems to have improved over the last few months (apart from the recent little blip), which I think is simply down to thinking about it more and writing this blog.  Don't get me wrong, I've always been a pretty good cook and hubby and I have always eaten well (often too well, I'm afraid!!), but giving a little more attention to what I'm preparing has re-awoken my interest in ingredients, flavours and cooking techniques ... an interest that had been dulled by years of churning out food for unappreciative children and impatient, demanding customers in our two pubs.

Take last night's meal, for instance - simple lamb chops and veg:

For one thing, the vegetables far outweigh the meat content of this plate, which is what I'm aiming towards for health purposes - this presents no problem for me at all, as I love veg!  Now, in the past I would probably have boiled both the carrots and the broccoli, but last night I steamed them so they retained more colour, texture, flavour and nutrients ... not to mention the fact that I would usually add (just a little) salt to the water when boiling.  I would always try to serve vegetables al dente where appropriate, but steaming is still preferable and really takes no longer to do; it just means getting into a different habit.

The lamb chops were simply sprinkled with black pepper and dried mint, sealed in a little oil and finished off in the oven.  However, the star of this show was undoubtedly the potato dish.  Again, once upon a time I might have served a baked potato, or plain boiled pots and a nice rich gravy - nothing wrong with either of those options - but a moment of inspiration made me pour a tin of chopped tomatoes into a small roasting tin, roughly chop some potatoes and a quartered onion on top, throw in some halved garlic cloves and top it all of with black pepper, mixed herbs, rosemary and a drizzle of olive oil.  I bunged this in a hot oven and left it for about an hour, after which I turned it a little (so the potatoes underneath got a chance to brown), added another light drizzle of oil and left it for another half hour.  Absolutely delicious!!

V  To be honest, the potatoes and veg were almost a meal in themselves, but for added protein, vegetarians could serve them with their favourite nut or bean-based entree ... or just grate some cheese over them, that would be nice, too!

Update - I am having the re-heated leftover veg & spuds for my lunch, topped with grated cheese and it is, indeed, very nice!