Lamb Rump with Salsa Verde

For the Salsa Verde:

Literally ‘green sauce’, this has many variations, using different herbs and flavourings. It is a really useful sauce to serve with all kinds of meat, fish, poultry and vegetable dishes. Serves 4–6.

Chop the herbs really finely and transfer to a bowl. Immediately cover with the olive oil so the herbs don’t turn brown.

Pound the anchovies, capers and garlic together using a pestle and mortar to make a paste.

For the Lamb Rump:

Mix in the herbs (with the oil) and add Dijon mustard to taste. Season with salt and pepper (be careful with the salt as anchovies and capers are both quite salty). This is best used freshly made, but any leftovers can be kept in a covered bowl or jar in the fridge for a couple of days – put a layer of olive oil on the surface of the salsa to prevent it from discolouring.

Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic and rosemary in a bowl. Add the lamb rump and turn to coat with this marinade, rubbing it in well. Set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the vegetables. Preheat the oven to 190°C. Peel the onion squash, cut it in half and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into 3cm wedges. Peel the jerusalem artichokes and cut into quarters. Cut the peeled carrots lengthways in half.

Bring a pot of salted water to the boil, add all the vegetables and cook for 4–5 minutes until tender. Drain, then tip into a bowl. Add the olive oil, thyme and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Toss so all the vegetable pieces are coated with the seasoned oil.

Spread out the vegetables in an ovenproof dish, cover with foil and roast for about 20 minutes until tender. Remove the foil and return to the oven to brown the vegetables for 5 minutes.

While the vegetables are roasting, cook the lamb. Pat it dry with kitchen paper to remove any excess marinade, then season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat an ovenproof frying pan and, when very hot, sear the lamb rump on all sides. Transfer to the oven to finish cooking for 4–5 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for a couple of minutes.

Slice the lamb lengthways into four pieces. Serve on the roasted vegetables, with a good spoonful of salsa verde on top of the lamb.