Lamb and potatoes play to a different tune

Serve the lamb with tabouli for a refreshing accompaniment.

The skordalia is great with seafood, and I also love it on a slice of good-quality sourdough bread.

Za'atar crusted lamb fillet with skordalia

3 tbsp za'atar

1 tbsp sumac

1 cup olive oil

4 lamb backstraps, trimmed

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Skordalia

3 bulbs garlic

800g desiree potatoes, peeled, cut into 3cm dice

3 tbsp almond meal

1 tbsp boiling water

5 tbsp good-quality extra virgin olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Serves 4

Combine za'atar, sumac and oil, and mix to a paste.

Place lamb in bowl, add paste and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Preheat oven to 150°C.

For the skordalia, wrap the garlic bulbs separately in foil and roast for 20-30 minutes until garlic is very soft. Cut each bulb in half crosswise and squeeze out garlic into a bowl, then mash with a fork until puréed.

Steam potato until very tender and pass through a mouli or ricer into a large bowl.

Stir in the garlic purée, almond meal and water. Slowly add the olive oil in a stream until incorporated. Add the lemon juice and season to taste.

Remove lamb from refrigerator and bring up to room temperature. Season well before pan-frying or char-gilling over medium to high heat for 5-8 minutes, or until done to your liking. Remove from pan and rest for 5-10 minutes.

Serve with skordalia on the side.

Moroccan orange tart with mascarpone

sweet short crust pastry, enough to line a 24cm flan tin

egg wash (made from 2 lightly whisked eggs), for glazing

2 whole eggs

75g caster sugar

90ml pouring cream, whisked to soft peaks

110g almond meal

30ml fresh lemon juice

1 orange, finely zested, no white pith

40ml fresh orange juice

mascarpone cream, to serve

Serves 10-12

Preheat oven to 180°C. Spray a 24cm loose-bottom fluted flan tin with oil.

Lightly flour a bench and roll out the pastry 2cm wider than the tart tin.

Roll the pastry over your rolling pin and gently ease it into the tin, pushing the pastry in gently so it follows the fluting. Place in refrigerator and rest for 30 minutes.

Line the tart case with foil and rice and blind-bake for 20 minutes. Remove the rice and foil, brush the pastry shell with egg wash and cook for a further 10 minutes.

For the filling, use an electric mixer to beat the eggs and sugar until thick and mixture holds a trail. Add whisked cream, almond meal, lemon juice and orange zest and juice and, using a wooden spoon, mix well until combined and smooth.

Spoon mixture into prepared pastry case and bake at 180°C for 25-30 minutes or until puffed and golden and firm to touch. Allow to cool before cutting.

Serve tart with mascarpone cream.

HOT TIPS

• Sumac is a red berry that, when ground, has a pleasing lemony taste. It also adds great colour.
• The orange tart is terrific served with yoghurt or yoghurt ice-cream.

SOMETHING TO DRINK

Portuguese red blend
2009 Casa Santos Lima Quinta Das Setencostas (about $17) comes from the Alenquer region, just north of Lisbon in Portugal. A wild mix of native red Portuguese varieties, it's bold and rich with dusty fine tannins - perfect with the lamb and skordalia.

Photography by William Meppem. Styling by Hannah Meppem. Food preparation by Kirsten Jenkins.