Slow-roast shoulder of lamb
This is a Sunday roast classic, served with a mustardy salad for a vibrant twist on the traditional.
In this recipe, you will need a heavy-duty roasting tin, approximately 35x25cm/14x10in, and a wire rack that will fit into it.
Ingredients
For the lamb
- 1 small shoulder of lamb (about 1.5kg–2kg/3lb 5oz–4lb 8oz)
- 50ml/2fl oz vegetable oil
- 100g/3½oz unsalted butter
- 2 onions, sliced
- 1 rosemary sprig, leaves chopped roughly
- 5 large potatoes, peeled and sliced
- 1 litre/1¾ pints lamb stock
- 1 garlic bulb, cut in half
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the salad
- 2 Little Gem lettuces, leaves separated
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú rocket
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
Method
To make the lamb, preheat the oven to 125C/115C Fan/Gas ½.
Season the lamb shoulder generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the lamb and slowly colour, turning until it is golden brown all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Wipe off any leftover oil with some kitchen paper and place the pan back on the heat. Add the butter. Once melted, add the onions and cook them gently for 10–15 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the rosemary, stir well to combine, then remove the pan from the heat and set aside.
Lay some of the sliced potatoes on the bottom of a 35x25cm/14x10in roasting tin. Season with salt and pepper, then add a layer of the onions. Add a second layer of potatoes, then onions, then a final layer of potatoes. The height of the potato and onion stack should be about 5cm/2in. Pour the lamb stock over the potato stack and place the garlic halves on top.
Place a wire rack over the potato stack and put the lamb on top. Pop into the oven and leave to cook slowly for 5–6 hours, or until the meat is really tender. You will see that all the delicious lamb juices have soaked into the potatoes and the lamb stock has evaporated.
To make the salad, mix the lettuce and rocket in a bowl. In a separate bowl whisk the oil, mustard and vinegar. Dress the salad just before serving.
To serve, shred the lamb off the bone and serve with the potato mixture and salad. Don’t forget to share out the garlic!