Sunday lunch: slow roasted shoulder of lamb with red wine gravy
I have my friend and fellow blogger Mrs Wallop to thank for this one. I was at the butcher’s a couple of weeks ago, and was rather taken by a whole shoulder of lamb, which I bought on a whim because it was cheap. Shoulder has by far the tastiest meat, but isn’t a pretty joint. Still, it has… erm… ‘character’, shall we say.
Anyhoo, later, when it was sitting staring at me from the fridge, I completely ran out of inspiration. One Tweet later and lovely Mrs Wallop came to the rescue with a suggestion for slow roasting with rosemary and garlic. Nom. It’s just so scrummy I’ve made it again twice since then. It’s dead easy too – all you need is:
1 lamb shoulder (the lovely ’hog bloggers’ and master butchers The Ginger Pig suggest that you ask your butcher to remove the rib bones but leave the collar bone in place as this acts as a bridge for the fat to run away from the meat).
3 cloves garlic
Couple sprigs of rosemary
Olive oil
Salt and pepper
First, take a sharp knife, and jab the fleshy parts of the meat all over. Slice the garlic into little shards, and jab the pieces into the holes in the meat, along with little sprigs of rosemary. Season generously with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil:
Place the lamb in a roasting tray and completely cover with foil, folding it right over the edges of the tray to make a tight seal.
Now just place in a low oven (160 degrees C/gas 3) and forget about it for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. When it’s ready, cover in foil and reserve somewhere warm while you make the gravy.
Bung the roasting tray on the hob (you can pour off some of the fat if there’s a lot), then sprinkle over a tablespoonful of plain flour. Stir it around with a wooden spoon, then add in a glass of red wine. Bubble that away and really scrub at the bottom of the pan to pick up all the little sticky bits where all the flavour is. Now, just pour in about 500ml stock and reduce until the gravy has thickened slightly.
I served this lamb with minted new potatoes and plenty of steamed veg and it was just scrummy. Instead of carving, it’s really best to just pull this apart, discarding the really fatty bits, then just sharing out the lovely, soft chunks of lamb. Admittedly, this picking about means that it’s probably not a dinner party dish, but it’s fab for a family Sunday lunch, and the meat is just so gorgeously soft and sticky.
If you’re lucky enough to have some left over, it makes fabulous sandwiches, with a handful of rocket and a dollop of mayo that’s been mixed with a little mint sauce. Heaven.
Disclaimer: Yes, these photographs are terrible, but I blame my good friends, Foxy and Tums, who took me to a quiz night and forced me to drink vast amounts of alcohol, thereby bestowing upon me a hangover of such epic proportions that it took me two days to recover. Not my fault at all, then. *cough*
CJ xx
And what a great idea! I want a half share in a pig too *stamps foot* xx