Preheat a grill or grill pan. Place lamb on a shallow baking pan. Season both sides of the meat with salt and coarse black pepper. In a food processor, puree the garlic, mint, salt and pepper, then add the extra-virgin olive oil in a slow stream. Pour marinade over the lamb and rub into the meat. Place on grill and cook on 1 side for 10 minutes. Flip lamb, cover with aluminum foil and grill for another 10 minutes.

Remove lamb from grill pan and let rest for 10 minutes for juices to redistribute. Slice and serve. Squeeze a wedge of lemon or grapefruit over the meat and enjoy. Reserve 1 pound of the meat for the next day's recipe, see below. Complete this menu with Baby Potatoes with Cumin and Watercress Salad with Lime Dressing.

1 1/2 pounds very small potatoes, halved, leave 1 1/2 inch potatoes or smaller whole

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Coarse salt

Set potatoes on a cookie sheet and drizzle them with just enough oil to lightly coat them, about 1 1/2 tablespoons. Toss potatoes with cumin seed and roast 20 minutes at 400 in a hot oven, then broil 5 minutes on high to brown edges of the cut potatoes. If you are making them with the above recipe for lamb, set the baking sheet with the potatoes in the oven along side the lamb on the same rack. Toss cooked potatoes with salt, to your taste, and serve.

Yield: 3 servings

Preparation time: 5 minutes

Cooking time: 25 minutes

Ease of preparation: easy

1 bunch watercress, trimmed and coarsely chopped

4 sprigs fresh mint, chopped, 2 tablespoons

A handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped

1 heart of romaine, coarsely chopped

1 ripe lime, juiced

1 teaspoon sugar

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it

Coarse salt and pepper

Combine watercress, mint, parsley and romaine in a small salad bowl. Combine lime juice and sugar in a small dressing bowl. Whisk oil into lime juice in a slow stream. Pour dressing over the salad and season with salt and pepper, to your taste.

Yield: 3 servings

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: none

Ease of preparation: easy