Jamie Oliver's Lamb Chops with Herby Lentils and Dressed Greens

This is my recipe review for Jamie Oliver's" Lamb Chops with Herby Lentils and Dressed Greens".

Last night we were wandering around Waitrose trying to decide what to have for dinner. We wanted something healthy, quick and tasty. Whilst ambling around aimlessly, I saw the Jamie Oliver "30 Minute Meals" book and remembered that my boyfriend has it on his iPhone. He'd already earmarked the lamb chop recipe but had never got round to making it so that's what we opted for.

Ingredient substitution: There weren't any spring greens available so we got some curly kale instead which I prefer anyway.

Equipment substitution: I don't have a griddle pan so I used a non-stick frying pan.

iPhone recipe instructions: I don't know if these are the same as in the book but if you are an inexperienced cook and tried to follow these exactly you'd be in trouble. Following the instructions as written results in a lot of wasted gas/electricity as the griddle pan sits there smouldering while you're doing the greens and lentils. Unless you have very thin chops you also end up with raw lamb and lukewarm lentils and veg that has been sitting around losing vitamins while you cook the meat. For a start, you are instructed to heat up the griddle pan, prepare the meat and then cook the greens and the lentils. Put lids on the greens and the lentils to keep them warm and then cook the lamb. The instructions tell you that the lamb will cook in 4-5 minutes. Mine was still raw in the middle and I had to give it extra time to cook. I don't know if it would make any difference using a griddle pan.

Result: The lentils on the curly kale were really nice and a welcome change from potatoes, pasta or rice. I will definitely be making this part of the recipe again because it's cheap, healthy and quick and would go nicely with other cuts of meat or fish or even as a vegetarian snack. The lamb was quite nice, but nothing special and if you used a low quality lamb chop it would be even less special.

Future modifications: I will definitely be adding this meal to my repertoire but I would make the following changes:
1. Put the lamb on to cook first and then prepare the lentils and greens so that everything is finished at the same time.
2. Cook the lamb for longer, at least 8-10 minutes for thick chops.
3. Steam the greens instead of boiling them as it preserves more flavour and vitamins.
4. Use less salt - almost every step of the recipe involves chucking in salt which results in the complete meal containing far too much. I have always been careful about using salt in cooking because it's unhealthy and now a study has shown that salt is also bad for your brain.
5. Mix the cooking juices from the lamb into the lentils for extra flavour.