Griddled neck of lamb with roasted winter squash

This looks like it'll take ages to make, but with 5 minutes preparation time and just 30 minutes to cook, you could easily make it for a family dinner during the week

• Preparation: 5 mins
• Cooking: 30 mins
• Serves: 4

What you need:

• 4 lean lamb neck fillets
• Salt and freshly milled black pepper
• 1 small winter squash or pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and cut into 12 hearty wedges
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1.25ml/¼tsp ground mace (nutmeg will do but mace is better)
• Pinch of cayenne pepper or dried chilli flakes
• 30ml/2tbsp sunflower oil
• 15g/½oz unsalted butter
• For the Lamb Marinade:
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 30ml/2tbsp dry white wine
• 30ml/2tbsp extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil

For the dressing:

• 1 fresh bay leaf, very finely chopped
• 1 sprig of fresh thyme
• 1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
• 1 small handful freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 4 anchovy fillets, drained and finely chopped
• 60ml/4tbsp extra virgin rapeseed or olive oil

What you do:

1. To prepare the lamb marinade, in a small bowl mix all the ingredients together. Place the fillets in a large shallow dish, spoon over the marinade, cover and refrigerate for 2 hours, or overnight.
2. Prepare the dressing by mixing all the ingredients except the oil in a small bowl, season and then slacken the mixture with enough oil to give a nice spooning consistency and set aside for later.
3. Preheat the oven to Gas mark 9, 250°C, 450°F. Place the squash or pumpkin wedges in a large bowl and toss with the seasoning, garlic, mace, cayenne and oil. Tip out into a large roasting tin and arrange so they are all in one layer. Dot with the butter. Cook for 15 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to Gas mark 5, 190°C, 375°F, turn and cook for a further 10-15 minutes. They should have nice golden brown bits on the outside and be soft and squidgy on the inside.
4. Heat a large non-stick griddle or frying pan until really hot. Season the lamb with salt and pepper and cook for 5-10 minutes on each side, depending on how well done you want them, then transfer to a warm plate to rest for 5 minutes.
5. Place a few pieces of squash on each plate, slice each fillet into chunky slices and place half on and half off the squash. Add a tablespoon of dressing on top and serve with seasonal vegetables
6. Serve immediately with seasonal vegetables.

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