Will and I were chatting on the sofa the other evening, debating meats. Which is our favourite?
That’s how we roll in our house. Meat talk… yeah, baby.
Chicken is obviously an easy go-to option and I like mine from the thigh with skin on. But I find myself adding lots of herbs to give it a kick, and have never found a recipe where the meat really does speak for itself. A nice cut of beef is always a winner (preferably liberally marinaded in oil, garlic, parsley and chilli as seen at Gaucho) but too heavy to eat more often than once every fortnight or so. Pork is delicious but I feel more suited to winter; pork belly and slow-roasted pork shoulder. Pulled pork and slow-cooked ribs are a big favourite in our house but they take planning and time, no good when you’re really hungry.
If I had my way I would eat either duck leg confit or a perfectly cooked duck breast every day of the week, but that’s not particularly practical (or healthy).
We came to the conclusion that the Harold family meat of choice is lamb. Big enough to stand on its own without an arsenal of herbs (though you wouldn’t know it by this recipe), fairly healthy, and here’s the best part: you can eat it with mint jelly, which is basically jam. You’ve already seen my Lamb Kofte recipe but today I’m going to share my all-time favourite lamb recipe: Slow Roasted Shoulder.
It’s fairly easy with the only annoyance being that you have to plan it a little while ahead. However, this can be a godsend on the days Elfie’s being a handful and the only thing that will keep her quiet is sitting her in her high chair and giving her a stack of marmite rice cakes (really) whilst I cook.
This lamb goes well with goose fat potatoes and some traditional veg or maybe new potatoes and salad… it’s a versatile recipe to suit your summer or winter repertoire.
- 1kg boned shoulder of lamb
- 1tbsp butter
- half tbsp olive oil
- 8 peeled garlic cloves
- 4-5 large sprigs rosemary
- handful thyme
- 1 peeled onion, halved and sliced
- 250ml white wine
- Pre-heat your oven to 150 degrees centegrade.
- Start by heating a heavy-bottomed oven-proof lidded pan over a medium heat. Add the olive oil and butter. Season the lamb on all sides and cook in the pan until brown on all sides. Remove and put to one side.
- Stuff the lamb with one half of the garlic cloves and herbs and put to one side.
- Add the onions and the remainder of the garlic and herbs to the pan and cook for around 8 minutes until golden.
- Add the wine, allowing the liquid to help scrape the delicious brown sticky bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Return the lamb to the pan: sit two layers of tin foil in between the pan and the lid to ensure no moisture will escape during the cooking process.
- Cook for 3-4 hours, checking on the lamb every hour to baste and turn.
- This time I served mine with anchovy and lemon-roasted new potatoes and asparagus. Delicious.
That’s our favourite way to cook lamb too! Mouthwatering photos!!!
Thanks! Nothing beats it (though pulled pork with homemade baked beans is a close second)
The photos looked lovely and I eagerly made this recipe for Valentines Day. Question, has the author actually followed her recipe as it really doesn’t make a lot of sense. The raw taste of garlic is NOT appetising and sadly not a recipe I will be repeating, sorry
Hi Cathy,
I’m sorry the recipe didn’t work for you – I cook this recipe on a regular basis (the last time was this Sunday just gone). I am a bit confused how your garlic would taste raw if it was cooked for 3-4 hours as per the method? Feel free to email me!
Alice
This recipe is the best!!