Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder With Pancetta Food

SLOW ROASTED ROSEMARY GARLIC LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan forced).
• Rub the lamb with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
• Use a thin, sharp knife to make 12 incisions in the lamb, deep as you can but without piercing through the bottom of the lamb. (See photo in post and video
• Stuff bits of rosemary and garlic slivers into the holes (chopstick helpful!)
• Place the onion, halved garlic bulb and rosemary in the base of a roasting pan. Place the lamb on top. Pour water around.
• Cover with lid or tightly with a double layer of foil. Place in the oven, and TURN DOWN to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
• Slow roast, covered: Roast, covered with the foil, for 3 hours. (Note 1 for different sizes).
• Brown it, uncovered: Remove foil, check to ensure there's still liquid in the pan. If not, add 3/4 cup water (otherwise onion/garlic will burn). Turn up the oven to 220°C/425°F and roast for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the skin is browned and crisp.
• Check if ready: By now, you should be able to part the meat with two forks - if not, just cover and return to oven at 180°C/350°F (160°C fan) until you can do so.
• Rest: Remove lamb from the roasting pan and transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil then a couple of tea towels and let it rest for at least 20 minutes, up to a couple of hours (after this, you may want to reheat).
• Serve with gravy (below). If you want to go all out, make Duck Fat Potatoes or Super Crispy Roasted Potatoes!

SLOW-ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• In a food processor, pulse together the pitted olives, garlic, cured lemon slices, olive oil and herbs to form a rustic paste. Be careful not to overprocess; you want the paste to stay a bit coarse.
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Open the lamb shoulder up on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to trim and score the flesh. Season the inside with salt. Rub the inside of the lamb with the seasoning paste. Carefully roll the lamb tightly and truss, or tie, with butcher's twine. Season the outside of the roast with salt and pepper. Place the roast on a wire rack set inside a deep roasting pan. Roast the shoulder in the preheated oven for 1 hour 25 minutes.
• After 1 hour 25 minutes, remove the lamb from the oven and check the internal temperature of the roast with a metal probe thermometer the inside should read between 145 and 150 degrees F. If the temperature is lower, return the lamb to the oven and keep cooking until the desired internal temperature is reached.Once the lamb is cooked, set it aside in a warm place to let it rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing and serving. Carefully remove the butcher's twine. With a sharp knife, carve the shoulder into thin slices. Arrange on a serving platter, season with coarse sea salt if you like, and serve immediately.

SLOW-ROASTED SHOULDER OF LAMB

Steps:

• Make the marinade. Blitz 1 halved shallot, 4 garlic cloves, 4 cherry tomatoes, 2 anchovies, ½ tsp toasted cumin seeds, ½ tsp toasted coriander seeds, ½ tsp pink peppercorns, 2 tbsp rosemary leaves, leaves from 1 thyme sprig, chopped leaves from a small bunch mint, 70ml white wine, 4 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp brown sugar and zest of juice of 1 lemon in a food processor.
• Pierce 2kg lamb shoulder all over with a sharp knife, put it in a large roasting tin and slather the marinade onto the meat, coating thoroughly.
• Cover with cling film and leave in the fridge for at least 3 hrs, preferably overnight.
• Take the lamb out of the fridge at least half an hour before you cook it to bring it to room temperature. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3.
• Put 3 onions, each sliced into 3 thick disks, in the roasting tin, resting the lamb on top. Cover with tented foil and roast for 5 hrs, basting the meat occasionally.
• Remove from the oven, transfer the lamb to a board and allow to rest, covered, for at least 30 mins.
• Return the tin of onions and marinating juices to the oven to keep warm.
• Combine zest ½ lemon, 1 crushed garlic clove and 1 tbsp finely chopped mint in a bowl.
• Pull the lamb apart with forks and serve with the roasted onions and gremolata scattered over.
• Skim off any fat from the juices and serve alongside the lamb.You can use the leftover meat in Rosie's lamb shoulder flatbread recipe (see 'goes well with').

NEIL PERRY'S SLOW-ROASTED LAMB SHOULDER

Steps:

• 1. The night before, trim the excess fat from the edges of the shoulders. Mix the spices, sea salt and extra-virgin olive oil together and rub over the lamb. Put the lamb in a container, loosely cover with plastic wrap, then refrigerate overnight. 2. Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 2 hours before cooking. 3. Preheat the oven to 130C fan-forced (150C conventional). Place the shoulders in a roasting tin large enough to fit both and drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil. Add 125ml water. 4. Use two sheets of foil joined together to make a tent over the lamb, then cook for 2.5-3 hours. Reduce the heat to 110C fan-forced (130C conventional) and cook for 4 more hours. 5. When ready, the lamb will be very well done. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 20 minutes, leaving the foil on, before shredding the meat from the bone. Serve atop the potatoes and accompany with lemon, ground pepper and aioli. Find more of Neil Perry's recipes in the Good Food New Classics cookbook. Buy Now