Marinated lamb neck with roasted potatoes and tomatoes
Lamb neck is a cheaper cut which is usually slow cooked, but here José uses a marinade to tenderise the meat and serves it medium-rare.
Ingredients
For the lamb
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- ½ tbsp smoked Spanish paprika
- 1 tbsp honey
- 5 tbsp olive oil, plus extra to serve
- pinch fresh oregano
- 4 x 250-350g/9-12oz lamb neck fillets
For the tomatoes
- 600g/1lb 5oz ripe tomatoes on the vine, halved
- 4 garlic cloves, skin on
- olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 banana shallot, finely chopped
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 250ml/9fl oz chicken stock
For the potatoes
- 2 waxy potatoes, such as desirée, peeled and sliced into 6–8mm thick rounds
- ½ large red pepper, sliced
- 1 green pepper, sliced
- olive oil, for roasting
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 2 fat garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 1 fresh bay leaf
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
For the lamb, mix all the ingredients, except the lamb, to make a paste. Rub all over the lamb and leave to marinate in the fridge for at least 12 hours.
When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 190C/170C Fan/Gas 5.
For the tomatoes, put the tomatoes on a baking tray with the garlic. Drizzle with lots of olive oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 45–60 minutes, or until the tomatoes are starting to caramelise.
Meanwhile for the potatoes, mix the potatoes, peppers, onion, garlic and bay leaf on a baking tray. Season with sea salt and plenty of black pepper. Pour over about 3 tablespoons olive oil and toss to coat the vegetables.
Roast on the top shelf of the oven for 15 minutes, then turn the vegetables over. Return to the oven and roast for another 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are golden-brown and the other vegetables are tender and nicely caramelised all over.
When the tomatoes are ready, heat a little olive oil in a saucepan and gently fry the shallot for 10 minutes. Tip in the roasted tomatoes. Squeeze the roasted garlic from their skins and add to the pan. Add the thyme and stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10 minutes.
Heat a large ovenproof frying pan over a medium heat. Add the lamb necks and fry until golden-brown on all sides (you don’t need any oil in the pan as this will come from the marinade). Transfer to the oven for 2–4 minutes, or until medium-rare. Set aside to rest for 2 minutes.
To serve, put the roasted potatoes and vegetables in the middle of warmed serving plates. Top with some of the tomatoes. Slice the lamb and arrange on top of the potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with a little olive oil.