Slow roast shoulder of lamb recipe

You can't beat roast lamb for Sunday lunch. Cook a second joint at the same time and you've got leftovers for midweek dinners.

Ingredients

This modified recipe is part of our one-month meal planner

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To see the original recipe (1 joint), click here

• 1 whole shoulder of lamb
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper, for seasoning
• 6 sprigs each fresh rosemary and fresh thyme
• 1 bulb garlic, broken into cloves and unpeeled (crush half the cloves with a knife)
• 2 red onions, quartered
• 3 carrots, cut into batons
• 2 sticks celery, sliced
• 1 large leek, sliced
• 4 or 5 ripe tomatoes, halved
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 x 375g tinned tomatoes
• Half a bottle red wine or 1 x 375ml bottle dry cider

Method

1. Allow the meat to come to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas mark 6).
2. Rub both lamb shoulders with a little oil, season with salt and pepper and place in a large roasting tin. Place in the oven and brown on all sides for about 15 mins.
3. Remove lamb joints from the oven and carefully place the rosemary, thyme, garlic, onions, carrots, celery, leek, fresh tomatoes and bay leaves into the roasting tin below one of the joints.
4. Pour the tinned tomatoes, wine or cider over the top of the joint and cover the tin with a double layer of foil. Return this and the second joint to the oven for 10 mins, then lower the oven temperature to 140°C (275°F, gas mark 1) and cook for 2½ hrs or until the lamb is tender and sticky. Check the meat juices run clear.
5. Remove the first joint from the oven, place the lamb on a warm plate (allow to rest for 20 mins), remove the whole cooked vegetables and keep warm. Let the second joint cool and store in the fridge.
6. Use the delicious juices to make gravy, if you like, adding a little redcurrant jelly to taste. Serve with the vegetables and gravy, accompanied by polenta or couscous and green beans. Save leftover lamb stock to make pepper and parsnip soup.