Roast rump of lamb with crusched potatoes and sauce nicoise

Preparation 1 hour / cooking 30 minutes
Serves 4

450gr. news potatoes scrubbed
450gr. rump of lamb, seam boned
25gr. softened butter
85ml. extra virgin olive oil / 1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 tbsp. fresh basil, finely chopped
100gr. french beans chopped into 5cm in pieces, blanched
85gr. good quality black olives, pitted and halved
4 ripe plum tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced
1tbsp. snipped fresh chives
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE SAUCE NICOISE
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small onion finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crished
1 tbsp tomato purée
227g can chopped plum tomatoes
300ml red wine
600ml lamb or chicken stock

1. Make the sauce nicoise : in a large fryingpan, heat the olive oil, then fry the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes until softened.
Add the tomato purée and canned tomatoes and turn up the heat to boil off the liquid. Add the red wine and boil for 10-15 minutes until reduced and nicely thickened.
2. Add the stock to the pan and bringto the boil again, letting it simmer rapidly untill thickened and reduced by half. Pour the sauce into a fine sieve set over the a bowl or cleanpan, and force it through with a wooden spoon.
You should be left with about 300ml sauce-if you have more then this, reduce it further.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C / fan oven 180C. Cook the potatoes in a pan of boiling salted water until tender. meanwhile, thoroughly season the lamb rump and heat an ovenproof frying pan until very hot.
Add the tablespoon of sunflower oil to the pan, then add the lamb and butter and cook over a high heat for 2-3 minutes on each side untill well browned.
Put the pan in the oven 7-12 minutes, depending how pink you like it. Transfer it to a warm place until needed.
4.When the potatoes are tender,drain and return them to the panand crush roughly with the back of a fork. Pour the buttery panjiuces from the lamb into the potatoes and add the finely chopped basil and olive oil. Mix through well, season if necessary.
5. To serve, pile the crushed potatoes into the center of four warmed serving plates. Carve the lamb and arrange on the top of the potatoes. Spoon the sauce nicoise around the outside, then spoon around the french beans, black olives, tomatoes and snipped chives. bon apetit !