Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder

Wednesday 6 April 2011



For someone who had only ever tasted lamb once before I moved over to the UK, I have become a fast and firm lover of this glorious meat. The only time I'd had it back in Canada, was the time my mother thought she would try to cook us some lamb chops. They smelled like mittens burning in the frying pan, and that was the end of that. We never had it again. I'm afraid that experience kind of put me off of it . . . for a very long time.



At our wedding meal, which was held in a Brewer's Fayre pub here in the UK, I decided to be brave, and chose Lamb Loins with a Cumberland Sauce as my meal. The rest is history. I fell in love at first bite, and it's been a happy love affair that has grown from strength to strength ever since!



Oh, I do love a nice lamb chop . . . seasoned and seared until it is just pink inside . . . likewise rack of lamb or leg of lamb. Tender and pink and oh so tasty. The Salt Marsh Lamb over here is the best in the world and a real treat to eat. Although it costs more, I try to eat Welsh or British Lamb over any imported lamb. It's rather strange really that home grown lamb should cost more than the foreign stuff . . . but I do have to say, it is well worth the extra expense!



My favourite cut has to be the shoulder. When cooked properly, this has got to be the tenderest, most flavourful cut of meat ever. Rich and succulent, it is just packed full of taste . . . and it's so very easy to cook. It doesn't take special techniques, or talents. It doesn't even take special spices and herbs. You could do a really tasty shoulder, using nothing but salt and pepper as far as that goes! This is the roast that really cooks itself!




A sprinkle of seasalt and pepper, and a gentle massaging with some olive oil . . . then laid to rest on a bed of rosemary sprigs and garlic cloves . . . and gently blanketed with more . . . this is the roast that is quite happy to be ignored until about half an hour before serving.


And then . . . oh my goodness . . . tender deliciousness that falls apart at the touch of a fork . . . oh so scrummy, served up with a big pan of oven roasted root vegetables . . . carrots, swede, parsnips, beetroot . . . oh and a bit of butternut squash thrown into the roasting pan as well, coz it was there . . . and I felt like it. Oh so sweet and delicious . . . and just perfect with this tender lamb. Some freshly mashed potatoes and Bisto on the side and lashings of Mint Sauce proved this to be a most delectably gratifying, if humble . . . Sunday lunch!



*Slow Roast Shoulder of Lamb*
Serves 6 to 8, depending on appetites
Printable Recipe

Deliciously tender. Nothing could be easier. This roast cooks itself. I like to serve this with a pan of roasted vegetables . . . butternut squash, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, swede, and a big pot of mashed spuds.

1 (2kg) shoulder of lamb, bone in
a bunch of fresh rosemary
a handful of garlic cloves, unpeeled
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crack your oven up to the highest temperature it will go. You will need a large casserole roaster with a lid.

Take your piece of meat and cut slashes in a diagonal pattern across the fat on the top of it with a sharp knife. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Rub this into the meat with your hands.

Place half of the rosemary sprigs and the garlic into the bottom of the roasting dish. Drizzle with olive oil. Place the lamb on top. This bed of herbs and garlic will act as a trivet and flavour the meat. Top your lamb with the remaining rosemary and garlic.

Cover and place into the preheated oven. Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 170*C/325*F/ gas mark 3. Cook, undisturbed for 4 hours. By then it should be deliciously tender. Remove from the oven and set aside, tented with foil to rest for about half an hour. Use two forks to tear off pieces of the meat for eating.

You can make a gravy with the juices, but I find it has an odd green tint which we don't like and it is difficult to get rid of all the fat. So I just use Bisto. You can squeeze some of the garlic out of the skins to mash and serve with the meat though. It's really quite mellow and delicious.

8 comments

  1. Looks delish Marie and lamb is my favourite meat, especially the fat on Lamb without the herbs though I am not a herb lover for some reason.Mmmmm.I could just eat a slice of that cold for my breakfast(If the teeth would let me )lol!!What tempting pics these are.Have a lovely day.Take Care God Bless Kath xx

    ReplyDelete
  2. What a fabulous Sunday lunch. It looks really tender and delicious. Thanks for the pickle tip in the stew, what a great idea, I'm going to put it in the leftovers!
    thanks, Mary x

    ReplyDelete
  3. VERY nice... great for Sunday roast, or holidays too--Easter is coming! :o) Happy Day, dear friend--LOVE YOU LOTS ((BIG HUGS))

    ReplyDelete
  4. We purchased a whole fresh lamb back to fill our freezer in the fall. I had a couple of shoulder roasts and now have a great new recipe to try! Lamb can be so elegant yet make the best comfort food.

    Thanks, Jen

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lamb is my favourite and usually it is a leg of lamb for Easter Sunday lunch. My mam could cook a great shoulder of lamb:)

    Hugs

    Sheilagh

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was so excited when I saw the title to your post on a friend's blog roll!! I had to come for a visit and wow, most excellent post on lamb. I also had bad experiences with lamb in the past so I usually shunned it. But 2 years ago I baked a lamb roast in garlic, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, sea salt, black pepper and a creole seasoning. It was to die for!! It melted in my mouth and was so tasty. I was hooked. Lamb is one of my favorite meats now.

    I am printing your recipe and will try it out. We used essentially the same ingredients but different techniques. Thank you for sharing...my mouth is watering!! :)

    ReplyDelete
  7. Okay, now my
    tummy is absolutely
    rumbling and it's
    9PM! Toddling off
    for a quick nibble
    and glass of wine.
    This looks absolutely
    delicious for spring!
    xx Suzanne

    ReplyDelete
  8. My love affair with lamb is equally strong :) I made a leg last night and it was one of the best things I have ever made-- look for it on the Food Hound soon!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for stopping by. I love to hear from you so do not be shy!


BEFORE LEAVING A COMMENT OR RATING, ASK YOURSELF:
Did you make the recipe as directed? Recipe results are not guaranteed when changes have been made.

Is this comment helpful to other readers? Rude or hateful comments will not be approved. Remember that this website is run by a real person.

Are you here to complain about ads? Please keep in mind that I develop these recipes and provide them to you for free. Advertising helps to defray my cost of doing so, and allows me to continue to post regular fresh content.

Thanks so much for your understanding! I appreciate you!