Who Wants Healthy Lamb This Sunday?
I like to stick to lower calorie, lower GI options when I indulge in Sunday lunch and I since I love lentils, this recipe is a favourite of mine.
The starch of the pulses works well with the sweetness of the squash and the tartness of the tomatoes. I like to cook more lentils than needed as they make a fabulous base for lunch basis the next day.
Roast lamb with roasted butternut squash, rosemary, and cherry tomatoes served with green lentils
Serves 2
INGREDIENTS
500g small lamb (bone in)
handful of fresh rosemary (stripped off stalks)
80g green lentils
half a butternut squash
4 garlic cloves
6-8 cherry tomatoes
oil
salt and pepper
1 bay leaf
1 vegetable stock cube
glass of white wine
METHOD
Peel the squash and cut into cubes.
Place lamb in a roasting tray and sprinkle the garlic and rosemary around it and add the squash. Drizzle with a little olive oil and place in oven according to the lamb cooking times and how you like it (mine was in for 55 mins as I like it pink)
Remove the lamb and set aside to rest when it’s done on a tray to catch juices.
Put the tomatoes in the roasting tray in with the squash and turn up the heat to soften the tomatoes and to caramelise the squash.
Cook the lentils according to the timing on the packet. I like mine al dente – so keep testing them. Instead of just water I like to cook mine in stock with wine (usually left over wine!) and a bay leaf – it gives a little more depth of flavour.
The lentils and the squash should take roughly 20 mins to cook, so when all done drain the lentils (add a lump of butter if liked) and place all the other ingredients on top of the lentils, carve the lamb and place on top – if you want a little gravy then take the lamb juices in their pan and add a splash of red wine and cook over a flame until reduced until thickened.
LEFT OVERS
If you cook too many lentils then it’s easy to knock up a fabulously filling salad for the next days lunch. Make a vinagrette from a good olive oil and a white wine vinegar (I think balsamic can be too overpowering) and add garlic and a touch of crème fraiche and bobs your uncle. This is the sort of lunch I would make myself and the girls in the office always wanted to buy some off me – so I found myself making a huge batch and selling it on!
