AUSTRALIA DAY BBQ

Australia Day is celebrated on January 26 and because this year Australia Day falls on a Saturday, we've been given a Long Weekend. It's a tradition to celebrate the day with a BBQ and nothing is more Australian than lamb.

I was going to make a watermelon, mint and feta salad last weekend but the watermelon I bought was a bit disappointing. As this salad only has a few ingredients - watermelon, feta cheese, Spanish onion, fresh mint and red wine vinegar - they have to be the best you can find. On Friday I bought another watermelon and planned to try again. I came home to find the latest Donna Hay magazine and what should be inside - a suggestion for the same salad! Too funny. I didn't really use a recipe but this recipefrom the Jamie Oliver magazine gives you some ideas for quantities. Just drizzle the salad with red wine vinegar instead of olive oil




 

Growing up, lamb cutlets were always a favourite. They are really expensive these days, so I've not eaten them in an age. I decided to throw caution to the wind and bought a few. I decided to go Greek style to match the watermelon salad and marinated the cutlets in lemon juice, olive oil, garlic and added few sprigs of oregano. I did a test run during the week and they were very tasty so I might be preparing them this way again in the very near future. I like my lamb pink so I only cooked the cutlets for 1½ minutes each side, then rested them for a minute before serving.

I finished off the meal with some crunchy potatoes. I make these all the time. I put a tablespoon of olive oil in a baking tray that I've preheated for 10 minutes in a hot oven. I par cook the potatoes, then place them in the sizzling oil. Every 20 minutes I turn the potatoes and if I need to, I might give them a spray with olive oil. The potatoes take about 45-60 minutes to cook and they're ready when they're crunchy and golden. Don't forget to season them before serving. They're also delicious served with a squeeze of lemon and topped with oregano.

Source: This article was first published here AUSTRALIA DAY BBQ