Grilled lamb neck and cauliflower with green herb sauce

Grilled lamb neck and cauliflower with green herb sauce

Autumn

This particular cut of lamb gets overlooked, which is a shame. It has real character and substance and is delicious cooked over fire. Neck is not quite as tender as the loin, but it’s got more flavour, which is why it appeals – it gives you something to think about when you’re eating. Cauliflower is another ingredient that’s just so good on the barbecue and goes really nicely with the lamb. You can make the green herb sauce ahead of time, but if there’s a window, bring it together at the last minute. It’s so good when it’s really fresh.

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 2 lamb neck fillets, trimmed and ready to cook (about 400g / 14oz in total)
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • a good pinch of chilli flakes
  • 1 cauliflower, broken up into bite-size florets
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the sauce

  • a handful of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
  • a small handful of basil, leaves picked
  • a small handful of mint, leaves picked (optional)
  • 6 salted anchovy fillets in oil, drained
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained
  • 1 small garlic clove, grated or crushed to a paste
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • ½ tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • about 100ml (3½fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to serve

Method

First, make the sauce. Place the herbs, anchovies and capers on a large board and chop everything together until the ingredients have a nicely fine texture. Transfer to a bowl and mix in the garlic, mustard, sugar, vinegar and oil, and season with black pepper. You’re after a thickish, spoonable consistency.

Get a hot fire going and when you’ve got some beautiful, white-hot, glowing embers, set a grill down over it and get ready to cook.

Trickle the lamb with 1 tablespoon of the extra-virgin olive oil and season it with plenty of salt and pepper. Sprinkle the chilli flakes over the meat, too. Lay the lamb neck fillets down on the grill and cook them for about 8–10 minutes, turning them regularly. You want the outside of the meat to develop a nice, dark crust. If you have a digital thermometer, the internal temperature should be around 55–60°C (131–140°F).

You don’t want the meat to be too rare. Rest the lamb to one side of the fire while you cook the cauliflower.

Trickle the florets with the remaining extra-virgin olive oil and season them well with salt and pepper. Tumble them out over the grill (you’ll need a grill that’s fairly close-knit, or you’ll lose the florets to the fire). Cook the cauliflower until it’s blistered and beginning to blacken in places. It needn’t be soft to the bite – a little texture and crunch is more pleasing alongside the lamb.

Arrange the cauliflower over plates or a platter. Slice the lamb thickly and arrange it in and around the cauliflower. Spoon over the green herb sauce and give everything a final sprinkle of salt and a twist of pepper. Finish the dish with a good trickle of your best extra-virgin olive oil.

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