Mint Potatoes with Sweetbreads and Herb and Onion Salad

Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Toss the potatoes in the oil in a roasting tray and roast for about 30 minutes; they should be slightly coloured and starting to dehydrate a little.

While the potatoes are roasting mix the coriander, parsley and dill together with the white onion. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice and za’atar and set aside.

In a small saucepan over a medium–high heat, warm 100 g (3½ oz) of the butter until it splits. Turn the heat up – it should start to foam and smell nutty. Using a whisk beat the melted butter until the milk solids caramelise. Carefully pour this out into a heatproof bowl and add one of the minced garlic cloves so it cooks a little. Set aside to cool. Once the mixture is room temperature, add the mint. This awesome butter mix is for tossing the potatoes in.

Next heat up a large non-stick pan until very hot. Add a touch of oil, then the sweetbreads. Sear on both sides until golden, then add the remaining butter, garlic and the thyme. Season with ground black pepper and, using a spoon, baste the sweetbreads with this mixture a few times so it cooks evenly and the butter doesn’t burn. The whole process should take about 5 minutes. 

Remove the pan from the heat and let the sweetbreads cool. Once they are cooled, chop them and put them in a large bowl. Take the potatoes out of the oven and roughly break them up and mix with the garlic butter – it’s up to you how much you break them up. Next add the potatoes to the bowl with the sweetbreads and check the seasoning – it might need a bit of lemon juice. Put this mix on a warm platter. Dress the herb and onion salad with the za’atar, olive oil and lemon dressing and, using your hands, sprinkle it over to garnish.