Incredible Slow Roasted Shoulder Of Lamb

Total Time: 4 hrs 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 4 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 (2 kg) lamb shoulder, bone in (ask the butcher to score lightly between the bones for you)
• 1 bunch fresh rosemary (a large bunch, or two small bunches)
• 1 bulb of garlic, unpeeled (use 2 bulbs if you love garlic)
• olive oil
• sea salt, crushed
• black pepper, freshly ground
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 500 ml chicken stock (from a can or carton is fine)
• 2 tablespoons capers, soaked, drained and chopped (optional, i hate capers, so i leave them out)
• 1 bunch fresh mint, leaves picked off and very finely chopped (a large bunch, or 2 small bunches)
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Recipe

• 1 first, preheat your oven up as hot as it will go.
• 2 now, using a sharp knife, slash through the fat layer of the lamb at about 1" (2.5cm) intervals, then do it in the opposite direction to form a diamond pattern.
• 3 pour a little olive oil into the base of a high-sided (2-3" deep) roasting tin and then add half of the rosemary sprigs - jamie is quite generous with the amount of rosemary, so don't be shy about it - i guess i used about 12 x 5" sprigs on the bottom, and another 10-12 on top).
• 4 scatter over half of the unpeeled garlic cloves (a full bulb if you're a garlic freak, half a bulb if you're a little more timid).
• 5 now place the lamb on top, pour over enough oil to coat the lamb and rub it in with your hands.
• 6 sprinkle with sea salt and black pepper and rub into the lamb.
• 7 scatter the rest of the rosemary and garlic cloves on top of the lamb.
• 8 cover the roasting tin tightly with aluminium foil (you may need several layers to make sure it's tightly covered), then place on the centre rack of the pre-heated oven.
• 9 immediately turn the heat down to 170°c (325°f) or slightly lower if your oven is fan forced - i cooked mine at 160°c in my fan forced oven.
• 10 cook for four hours.
• 11 when the lamb is cooked, remove from the oven, remove the foil, and you will find the large bone simply pulls away clean.
• 12 now, use two forks to separate the meat from the smaller bones, and pile the meat onto a plate - being careful to remove any small bones.
• 13 cover meat and keep warm while you prepare the sauce.
• 14 remove and discard any sprigs of rosemary in the baking tin - (don't worry about the little leaves that have fallen off the sprigs).
• 15 remove the roasted garlic cloves to a plate and let them cool a little.
• 16 pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of oil, but try to ensure that you leave the cooking liquor in the pan - this is achieved easily with a separating jug or you can pour the whole lot into a tall glass and allow the oil to rise to the top, pour off the excess oil, and pour the rest back into the pan.
• 17 now, pop the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins, add to the roasting pan and smash up with the back of a wooden spoon.
• 18 place the roasting pan on the stove (i place it over two hobs) over a medium heat.
• 19 stir in 1 tablespoon of flour, then stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, gradually add the chicken stock.
• 20 boil, stirring, for about 5 minutes (this doesn't make a thick gravy, so don't be concerned if it doesn't thicken much).
• 21 now add the finely chopped mint and the red wine vinegar and the capers if using.
• 22 boil briefly and then pour into a jug remember this is more of a sauce than a gravy, so it won't be thick.
• 23 serve the lamb, giving each person about 3-4 tablespoons of the sauce poured over the top of the meat.