Inspired by Nigel Slater’s 'lamb’s liver with red pepper chermoulah' I have made a simpler version to save time and effort.

Peeling roasted peppers is as irritating as peeling chestnuts only you end with red/black thumb nails instead of bleeding ones - so let’s not do it! Use ramiro peppers and you have a thinner skin anyway and peeling them is unnecessary. Polenta, oft overlooked because, pretty on the plate though it is, it is also disappointingly bland. So let’s flavour it - only a pinch of dried chilli flakes and a creamy goat’s cheese and you have a moorish golden yellow substitute for potatoes or pasta. Cook ahead and it can be cut into discs and grilled.

And so together you have not only some fabulous flavours but also glorious colours too.

Ingredients - serves 6

600g lambs liver
25g butter
salt, pepper
a small glass of Madeira or semi-sweet sherry
2 tsp crème fraiche

3 ramiro red peppers, seeded, cut into pieces
12 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 red onion, peeled & sliced
salt, pepper
olive oil

1/2 packet of instant polenta
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried chilli flakes
1 Capricorn goat’s cheese - cut into small dice

Method

Make the polenta according to the packet instructions but add the chilli and salt to the cooking water. Once cooked (usually 5 minutes) beat in the goat’s cheese then pour out onto cling film and level out into a rectangle 1.5cm thick, leave to cool and set. Once set cut into desired shapes.

Preheat the oven to 220°C
Toss the pepper, onion and garlic together with salt, pepper and olive oil then spread across a roasting tray and cook in a hot oven until turning colour at the edges - 15 minutes or more - set aside and keep warm. Brush the polenta discs with olive oil and either grill or sit in the hot oven until turning golden brown at the edges.

Season the sliced lamb’s liver and cook in butter over a fairly high heat to brown on both sides - don’t over-cook or it will be dry and tough. Add the Madeira to the pan and the crème fraiche, swirl to incorporate into a sauce.

Top the discs of grilled polenta with roasted vegetables and torn basil leaves and serve on warmed plates with slices of lamb’s liver and sauce.