© David Loftus
slow-cooked shoulder of lamb with roasted vegetables
method
This is a recipe that I first made as an alternative to roasting a leg of lamb. I wanted to save time and make my own gravy, so I turned it into a pot roast by adding vegetables and wine. I think shoulder of lamb is one of the best cuts by far its tastier than the leg and much more economical.
Ive taken it in various different directions and have come up Tree ideas . . .
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Rub the lamb with oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and put it into a roasting pan. Using a sharp knife, make small incisions all over the lamb and poke rosemary leaves and some quartered cloves of garlic into each one. This will give great flavor to the meat. Add the rest of the garlic cloves, the onions, carrots, celery, leeks and fresh tomatoes to the pan, then tuck the remaining herbs under the meat. Pour the canned tomatoes over the top, followed by the wine. Cover the pan tightly with a double layer of foil and put it into the oven. Turn down the oven temperature to 300°F and cook for 3Ή⁄₂ to 4 hours, until the lamb is soft, melting and sticky and you can pull it apart with a fork. Gently break up the meat, pull out the bones, and extract any herb stalks. Squeeze the garlic out of the skins and mush it in. Shred the lamb, and check the seasoning.
serves: 6-8
ingredients
5Ή⁄₂lb shoulder of lamb, bone in olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
a handful of fresh rosemary sprigs
1 whole bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
2 red onions, peeled and quartered
3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
2 sticks of celery, cut into pieces
1 large leek or 23 baby leeks, trimmed and cut into pieces
a handful of ripe tomatoes, halved
2 bay leaves
a handful of fresh thyme sprigs
2 14 oz cans of good-quality plum tomatoes
1 bottle of red wine