Slow-Roast Shoulder of Lamb with Rosemary & Garlic
A shoulder of lamb is the most forgiving roast there is. It has enough fat running through it that you cannot really dry it out, and the low, long cook means there is no window to miss — an extra half hour only makes it better. Where a leg needs carving skill and precise timing, a shoulder is pulled apart with two forks and served in soft, sticky pieces.
All it asks for is rosemary and garlic pushed into the meat, a splash of water in the tin to keep the base from catching, and foil for the first three hours so it steams tender before it browns. The last 45 minutes uncovered give you the crust.
Underneath, a few onions and whole garlic bulbs turn to sweet paste in the fat and lamb juices — squeeze them out and stir into the pan juices for an instant gravy.
For the lamb
For the pan gravy
Heat the oven to 150°C fan / 170°C / gas 3. Pat the lamb dry. Make deep slits all over the meat with a small knife and push a sliver of garlic and a short length of rosemary into each. Rub all over with the oil and season generously.
Scatter the sliced onions and the halved garlic bulb, cut-side up, over the base of a deep roasting tin. Pour in the water. Sit the lamb on top and tuck in the remaining rosemary sprigs.
Cover the tin tightly with two layers of foil. Roast for 3 hours, checking once that there is still liquid in the base and topping up with a splash of hot water if not.
Remove the foil, raise the oven to 190°C fan / 210°C / gas 6½, and roast for a further 40–50 minutes until the top is deep brown and crisp at the edges and the meat pulls away from the bone with no resistance.
Lift the lamb onto a board and cover loosely with foil. Set the tin over medium heat, squash the soft garlic out of its skins into the juices, add the hot stock and redcurrant jelly, and simmer for 4–5 minutes, scraping the base. Strain if you like it smooth.
Pull the lamb into large soft pieces with two forks, discarding the bone and any large lumps of fat. Pile onto a warm platter and spoon over some of the gravy. Serve the rest alongside.
Timing: Roughly 1 hour per 500g at the low temperature, plus the 45-minute blast. A 2kg shoulder takes about 4 hours 15 minutes total.
Ahead: The lamb reheats beautifully — cook it a day ahead, keep it in its juices, and warm covered at 160°C for 30 minutes.
Leftovers: Shredded lamb is excellent in flatbreads with yoghurt and pickled onions, or folded through orzo.
Gravy: For a smoother gravy, strain the pan juices, skim the fat, and whisk in a teaspoon of cornflour slaked in cold water.