Roasted squash with lentils and blue cheese

From Ottolenghi’s Simple book… it is simple and delicious!

Ingredients

1 large butternut squash, unpeeled, trimmed, deseeded and cut into 3-4 cm pieces (950g net weight)
2 red onions, peeled and cut into 3cm-wide wedges
3 tbsp olive oil, plus 2 tsp extra to drizzle
10g sage leaves
Salt and black pepper
100g puy lentils
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon, plus 2 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
5g parsley leaves, roughly chopped
5g mint leaves, roughly chopped
10g tarragon leaves, roughly chopped
100g dolcelatte (or roquefort) broken up into 2cm pieces (optional)

Method

Heat the oven to 220C/425F/gas mark 7.

Put the squash and onion in a large bowl with two tablespoons of oil, the sage leaves, three-quarters of a teaspoon of salt and plenty of pepper.

Mix well, then spread out on a parchment-lined baking tray and roast for 25 minutes, until cooked and golden-brown. Set aside to cool for 10 minutes.

While the squash is in the oven, put a medium saucepan half-full of water on a high heat. Once boiling, add the lentils, turn down the heat to medium and simmer for 20 minutes, until cooked. Drain, leave to cool slightly, then place in a large bowl. Add the squash, half the lemon zest, all the lemon juice, the garlic, herbs, a tablespoon of oil and a quarter-teaspoon of salt. Spread out on a large platter (or arrange on individual plates) and dot with the pieces of cheese, if using. Sprinkle with the remaining lemon zest, drizzle with more oil and serve.