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Monday 8 July 2013

Slowly Roasted Shoulder of Lamb

There seems to have been considerable interest in some of my recipes that I have published on this blog, especially the one for Hungarian Goulash, which I make using Rump Steak. With this in mind I have resolved to include more of my favorite recipes in the future. Today’s recipe is for a slowly roasted shoulder of lamb. You’ll need a roasting pan large enough to take the meat and about 2 to 3 inches deep, and some aluminum foil to cover it. The shoulder will serve about 4 people, so for larger table settings you’ll need to adapt where necessary.

Ingredients

One shoulder of lamb – about 2 Kgs – on the bone
A dozen 5” sprigs of rosemary
A bunch of fresh mint, finely chopped
A whole bulb of garlic split into cloves, no need to peel them
Olive oil
Sea salt
Ground black pepper
1 tbsp of plain flour
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
500ml Lamb Stock

Directions

Pre-heat the oven to as high as it will go.

With a sharp knife, score the layer of fat on the meat in 2 directions into 1” diamonds.
Pour some olive oil into the bottom of the roasting dish and scatter half of the rosemary and garlic cloves into it. Place the lamb, scored side uppermost, in the dish and rub more olive oil into the scored surface. Sprinkle sea salt and ground black pepper onto the lamb and rub into the surface. Scatter the remainder of the rosemary and garlic cloves over the lamb. Cover the roasting dish tightly with aluminium foil, making sure it is sealed well. Place the dish in the center of the pre-heated oven, and immediately turn down the heat to 160°C (320°F). Cook for 4 hours.

Using a couple of forks pull the meat away from the bones (actually it should fall away) and place on a heated serving dish, cover and keep warm. Discard the bones and all of the sprigs of rosemary. Pour off almost all of the olive oil, leaving about a tablespoon. Remove the garlic cloves and allow them to cool. Pop them out of their skins and return to the roasting dish, crushing them with a suitable utensil.

Place the roasting dish on the top of the stove at a medium heat. Stir in the flour and the lamb stock (a suitably flavored thickening agent may be used instead of flour), bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the chopped mint and vinegar, and bring to the boil again. Transfer the sauce to a suitable vessel.

Suggested vegetables: New potatoes, minted peas, French or sliced runner beans