Six Hour Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder

It's spring and how better to celebrate in the kitchen than with a wonderful joint of spring lamb. This recipe by Simmone Logue is not to be rushed and is all the better for it. The lamb is marinated overnight and then takes six hours to cook. The result is an incredibly tender delicious dish.

Six Hour Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder

with charred red peppers and rosemary gravy

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 large carrot, roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
2 onions, roughly chopped
1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally
5 bay leaves
3 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 tbsp peppercorns
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp caster sugar
1.6kg British lamb shoulder, on the bone
500ml red wine
2 tsp sea salt
1 litre fresh chicken stock
½ batch mint pesto

For the charred red peppers
2 red peppers
4 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, sliced
1 fresh rosemary sprig, leaves picked

METHOD

    1. Put the chopped carrot, celery and onions in a large baking dish. Add the garlic, herbs, peppercorns, vinegar and sugar, then mix together. Rest the lamb on top. Pour the wine over the lamb, then add the salt. Cover, then marinate in the fridge overnight, turning once.
    2. The next day, heat the oven to 160°C/140°C fan/gas 4. Pour the stock into the baking dish and turn the lamb again. Cover with baking paper, then a tight layer of foil, and cook for 5½ hours.
    3. When the cooking time is up, remove the lamb from the oven and turn up the temperature to 200°C/ 180°C fan/gas 6. Remove the foil and baking paper, then cook the lamb, skin-side up, for 30 minutes more.
    4. When the lamb is done, remove it from the oven. Strain 1 litre of the cooking juices from the baking dish into a clean saucepan. Skim off the oil from the top, put the pan over a high heat and cook for 20 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by two-thirds, making a rich gravy.
    5. Meanwhile heat the grill to high. Line a baking tray with foil, put the whole red peppers on it and grill, turning now and then, for about 25-30 minutes until the skins have blackened and blistered. Put the peppers in a plastic bag and leave to sweat for 10 minutes, then slip the skins from the flesh, slice the peppers and remove the seeds. Put the peppers in a bowl with the olive oil, garlic and rosemary and gently mix together.
    6. For the lamb, pull the shoulder blade from the joint: it should just slip out. Serve the lamb with the roasted red peppers and gravy.




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