A creamy, slightly-chilled potato salad goes well with most meats that have been barbecued. Maggie and I make one several times during the warmer months; the latest one was one of our best ever, thanks to some ultra-fresh small potatoes and the seasonal supply of parsley and chives from our garden.

However, when we barbecue a piece of lean, boneless lamb – the backstrap as it is known here – we prefer to make a warm potato salad and dress it with olive oil. It’s quick to prepare and has a high flavour-to-effort ratio.

Ingredients

500g small potatoes, skin left on
2 tbsp olive oil
plenty of salt flakes and freshly-ground black pepper
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp chopped fresh spring onion

Method

1. Cut any larger potatoes into segments (3 to 4 cm). Place potatoes in saucepan of cold salted water and bring to the boil.
2. Cook the potatoes for about 7 to 9 minutes from the time they come to the boil.  The potatoes should be firm but cooked through.
3. Drain potatoes and return to pan or a large bowl. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and gently toss to coat the potatoes.
4. Leave for about five minutes then add the parsley and onion and gently toss before serving.

Last night, I used kipfler potatoes to make the salad. I barbecued the lamb for 5 minutes on one side and 3 minutes on the other, yielding a nice pink colour in the centre of the meat. The other item on my plate was a salad of our cherry tomatoes, tossed with some pearls of mozzarella-style cheese, shredded basil, a little balsamic vinegar and a little less olive oil.