Braised lamb neck with potatoes, spring vegetables and yoghurt

Ingredients

Lamb

• 800g lamb neck
• 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 200g peeled shallots, halved lengthways
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved
• 500ml dry cider

Potatoes

• 800g potatoes
• 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1 tbsp ground cumin
• 2 tbsp sherry vinegar
• 4 spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
• 15g coriander – stalks finely chopped, leaves roughly chopped
• ½-1 green chilli, deseeded and diced

Yoghurt

• 300g Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 large garlic clove, crushed with a pinch of salt
• 20g mint leaves, finely chopped
• 10g parsley leaves, finely chopped
• 200g peas
• 200g asparagus, trimmed and cut into 3cm lengths

Method

Lamb

1. Season and brown the lamb neck in the oil in a heavy-based pan with a lid over a medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, cook for 2 minutes then pour in the cider.
2. Cover, reduce the heat and cook gently for 2-3 hours, stirring now and then, until the lamb is tender. Once cooked, leave to rest for 10 minutes before slicing.

Potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C fan/Gas Mark 6. Peel and cut the potatoes into 3cm chunks. Put into a pan of lightly salted water, cook until tender then drain. Leave to steam for a few minutes then shake them in the colander and tip into a roasting tin.
2. Drizzle with the oil, season and roast for about 40 minutes, turning once halfway, until golden. Scatter over the cumin and roast for 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and spoon over the sherry vinegar, spring onions, coriander and chilli.

Yoghurt

1. Mix the yoghurt, garlic, mint and parsley in a bowl and season. Blanch the peas and asparagus in boiling water for 2-3 minutes, drain then stir into the yoghurt.

To serve

Spread the yoghurt over the base of a serving platter. Top with the potatoes, lamb and lamb juices.