lamb

slow-cooked shoulder of lamb with roasted vegetables

servings
6-8

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 – it's tastier than leg and much more economical. I've taken it in various different directions and have come up with some fantastic Family Tree ideas...

Preheat your oven to 200ºC/400ºF/gas 6. Rub the lamb with oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and put it into a roasting tray. 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 tray, then tuck the remaining herbs under the meat. Pour the tinned tomatoes over the top, followed by the wine. Cover the tray tightly with a double layer of foil and put it into the oven. Turn down the oven temperature to 170ºC/325ºF/gas 3 and cook for 3½ to 4 hours, or 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.

• from Jamie's Dinners

ingredients

• 1 x 2.25kg shoulder of lamb, bone in
olive oil
• sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 whole bulb of garlic, broken into cloves
• a handful of fresh rosemary sprigs
• 2 red onions, peeled and quartered
• 3 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 sticks of celery, cut into pieces
• 1 large leek or 2–3 baby leeks, trimmed and cut into pieces
• a handful of ripe tomatoes, halved
• 2 bay leaves
• a handful of fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 x 400g tins of good-quality plum tomatoes
• 1 bottle of red wine

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tried this recipe or a similar one? share your tips...

1. by suechu on Wed 01 Feb 2012 @ 13:29

This was bluddy gorgeous. Largeish shoulder of lamb, 3 hrs 45 mins. Was perfect. No good for our post-Christmas diets though.

2. by Mbub on Sat 24 Dec 2011 @ 05:04

I keep making this recipe, it's so lovely!!!

3. by sonja wouters on Sun 04 Dec 2011 @ 13:50

I will be trying this shoulder of lamb for my christmas dinner the 25 th since a few years ago my health showed me the importance of having the family together so for as long as i still can i decided to have Christmas in our home with my family therefor last year i cooked your turkey it was great ! Now i' d like to try the lamb , can some one who knows wine sugest a nice and souple wine to akompany tis dish for drinking? (between 4 and 8 euro p:bottle) ?

4. by Georgina on Mon 07 Nov 2011 @ 21:19

Very yummy dish, I saved all the remaining jus and veg to make a sauce for a pasta dish with chicken.

5. by Kate on Sat 29 Oct 2011 @ 23:19

Can I use a leg of lamb instead of shoulder? I bought the wrong cut of meat and want the meat falling off the bone? Thanks x

6. by Brett on Sat 22 Oct 2011 @ 12:03

I didn't find this a good recipe at all. The chunks of vegetable ruined the dish their wasn't enough to go around for 6/8 people. If I was to ever cook it again Id definitely remove the tomatoes and dice the veg far more. This recipe isn't complete and I wouldn't recommend it in its current state.

7. by Ray on Sun 04 Sep 2011 @ 13:19

Hi pthere, you said: "I'm a god that tastes nice sort of guy." Are you saying that you are a god that tastes nice?

8. by Andy Merl on Wed 31 Aug 2011 @ 12:34

Thanks Jamie, it was a hit. I didn't have any white wine so I had to use a can of diet pepsi, still tatsed nice. Next time I'll try it with real lamb instead of the tinned stuff.

9. by Stuart Macpherson on Sat 27 Aug 2011 @ 22:39

This is the first meal i ever cooked and actually put effort into it (before that it was tinned soup), and that was about 5 years ago now. To this day I still LOVE this meal, and make it when ever I can. It's bloody brilliant! It actually got me into cooking and now I can actually cook a 3 course meal without giving anyone(!) food poisoning. Woo.

10. by JP on Mon 08 Aug 2011 @ 14:48

I did this yesterday using only potatoes and ognions and replaced the red wine with white. It was a success. I put the potatoes in the wine nand juice one hour before the end having boiled them for 5/10 minutes.

11. by Chloe on Thu 04 Aug 2011 @ 22:31

I agree with KMan about the veg! I had to remove the lamb early (which was falling of the bone and tender) drain off and reduce the jus (which made an amazing gravy) and roast the veg for a furthur 45 mins (on full heat). The recipe for me is half finished (even the pic shows the meat still raw) basically i had to use my own initiative to make what could of been a disastrous meal delicous. It was a really tasty just needed a bit more than sticking in the oven. I served it with hedgehog roast potatoes, asparagus and green beans.

12. by KMan on Wed 06 Jul 2011 @ 19:07

Hi Jamie (and all) We tried a Shoulder of Lamb and instead of leeks used New potatoes (halved), Swede (1inch cubed ....these are rough estimates of course...not that OCD) and carrots. Also used half a bottle of red. After 4hours (didn't open the door before then)at the temp suggested, the swede was rock solid, and the carrots and spuds weren't soft either. Left it for a further hour....still no joy. The lamb wasn't melting, but was cooked. What's the deal with the hard veg? Are you supposed to remove the foil as any point during the cooking? As well, does the size of the tray make a difference? Our roasting tray was rammed and with all the veg and wine, the liquids were slosshing over the sides. Have we stewed the veg instead of roasting? If the oven door seal is leaky would that be an issue (nto that I'm saying the roasting dish after 6 hours was cold....) ? Picture looks great, tho' our cheek bones were tired from chomping through the veg....Tried an irish stew with Stock and the stewing lamb was immersed in the liquid.....didn't fall off the bone there either.

13. by mereke on Sat 25 Jun 2011 @ 10:16

Just wondering if i need to use the whole bottle of wine

14. by Iain Dawson on Sun 24 Apr 2011 @ 17:57

I'm useing this recipe right now for my easter dinner, though i'm useing a double duck lamb cut (or at least thats what the butcher called it) and so far it smells devine!

15. by Cindz on Wed 20 Apr 2011 @ 06:38

I want to try this for Easter unfortunately the lamb shoulder I have doesn't have the bone in...what difference will this make? ..should it make a difference to the cooking time?

16. by berlinda on Wed 13 Apr 2011 @ 13:16

i want to make this recipe but wanted to find out can you use chicken instead of lamb?

17. by Jill Faucher-Ross on Tue 12 Apr 2011 @ 16:37

OUTSTANDING!! Didn't think it was going to come out this tender, wow! Meat falls off the bone...!!

18. by Jill Faucher-Ross on Tue 12 Apr 2011 @ 16:35

darned good recipe! Didn't think it would come out THIS good! wow!

19. by mike king on Sun 10 Apr 2011 @ 09:27

lovely way to cook lamb shoulder and very reasonably priced. Similar to Moroccan and Indian methods just different herbs. Kindest regards to you n yours.

20. by helen on Sat 09 Apr 2011 @ 10:03

i am about to make this delicious dish, but am wondering what to serve with it...i know roast potatoes are a favorite with my family, but will it work?

21. by Peter on Tue 05 Apr 2011 @ 12:22

Hi Jamie. You did it again !!

22. by daniel mc on Sat 02 Apr 2011 @ 00:52

what wine is best to use with it

23. by pthere on Sun 05 Sep 2010 @ 00:14

Come on Jamie lose the Rosemary. I think that its a over rated herb for lamb. I allways use mint my self. Yer I know its a old herb to use with lamb but I think its still the best.

By the way I think that you are the best Chef around. I love the way you just cook something and put it on a plate. Can not stand meals that are made to look pretty on a plate.
I'm not into a feast for my eyes. I'm a god that tastes nice sort of guy.

Regards from a old Pom living in New Zealand

24. by JS on Wed 17 Feb 2010 @ 15:03

Do you need to do anything with the gravy? Does it thicken on its own?

25. by Victoria Brannigan on Thu 24 Sep 2009 @ 20:11

ALWAYS FANTASTIC. Everybody very happy leaving the table. Leftovers I make it into a pasta - never fails. Love it, love it, love it. Thank you.

26. by Sandra on Wed 26 Aug 2009 @ 19:49

This looks good.Is it ok to add potatoes rather than washing up another pot.

27. by jo jackson on Sun 02 Aug 2009 @ 14:09

hi jamie, just put it in oven hope it taste as good as it looks !!!!!
i have took a picture of it my little girl said it looked like grown up cooking

28. by susana on Wed 13 May 2009 @ 20:42

definitily good,the whole family liked.susana from portugal

29. by ken swinbune on Wed 13 May 2009 @ 19:47

Sounds lovely . I will try this in my cafe im trying some off your recipes as i am trying too promote healthy eating (very difficult) thanks.

30. by eely baboon on Sun 10 May 2009 @ 23:22

I just bought 2 x 1kg shoulders of lamb that are boned! How long should I cook for (I guess less than 3½ / 4 hours)?

31. by Suzzy on Tue 05 May 2009 @ 19:52

This is so nice, I did it with some parsnips and white onions as I didn't have leeks or red oinons. Half a shoulder takes approx 1.45 hrs, I added a drained tin of haricot beans about 25 mins before the end as I'd seen a similar recipe with flageolot beans. Really anything makes this good.

32. by Jen Gill on Tue 05 May 2009 @ 16:24

Cooked this once so far, passed it on to one friend who has also cooked it and about to cook again for others who have heard how nice it was from my parents and will not let me off doing it for them also!
Everyone has loved it, i served mine with a homemade mix of Morrocan cous cous, it went down a storm!
Thanks

33. by Eduardo Souza on Sun 03 May 2009 @ 23:31

For sure I will try do that.....Eduardo Souza from Brazil

34. by John on Mon 27 Apr 2009 @ 22:10

Really excellent - cooked this yesterday and we really enjoyed it. Simple to prepare and great taste

35. by Drabzz on Sat 25 Apr 2009 @ 14:36

You've done it again Jamie; this one's a keeper!

36. by Ana Powell on Thu 16 Apr 2009 @ 11:06

Beautiful and very colorful dish.
It sounds really delicious.
Jamie you`re one of the bests x

37. by Bonnieboo on Sat 11 Apr 2009 @ 12:15

Sounds great but am going to try and make it with a leg of lamb so hope I won't spoil anything. I'll comment later.

38. by Marcella Gravatt New Zealand on Wed 08 Apr 2009 @ 05:47

Hi Guys I think this slow cooked sholder of lamb and roast veg is yummy

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