Roasted Shoulder of Lamb

Recipes from Suzanne James | www.suzannejames.co.uk

There is lots to celebrate this month, Easter weekend, the approach of Spring, and the arrival of English Lamb in the shops. Slow cooked lamb is the perfect dish for a family gathering, all the prep is done the day before, so that on the day you can leave the oven to work its magic whilst you entertain (or join in the Easter Egg hunt!). Rest assured that you will be serving a gloriously succulent, melt in the mouth dish for everyone to tuck into later in the day, what better way could there be to celebrate Spring?

Preparation (day before if possible) 20 minutes, Cooking time 5 hours. Serves 6

Ingredients

• 6 Garlic Cloves, peeled & chopped

• Handful of fresh Rosemary, chopped

• 2 Tablespoons Dijon Mustard

• Lemon Juice

• 2kg shoulder of lamb

• Olive oil

• 3 onions each sliced into 3 or 4 discs

Method

1) Make the marinade, I do this in a blender, mixing together the garlic cloves, rosemary, Dijon mustard, plus 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice. If you don’t have a

In Season This Month

Fruit, Nuts & Fungi - Forced Rhubarb

Vegetables & Herbs - Asparagus, Broccoli, Chives, Dill, Jersey Royal New Potatoes

Lettuce & Salad Leaves, Morel Mushrooms, Purple Sprouting Broccoli, Radishes, Rocket, Samphire, Sorrel, Spinach, Spring Onions, Watercress, Wild Nettles

Meat & Game - Lamb, Wood Pigeon

Fish & Shellfish - Crab, Langoustine, Lobster, Plaice, Prawns, Salmon, Sardine, Sea Trout, Shrimp, Whitebait

Going out of season - Cockles, Oysters, Venison, Wild Garlic, Winkles blender, just cut up the garlic and rosemary as finely as possible and mix together by hand.

2) Pierce the lamb all over with a sharp knife, then place it into a large ziplock bag, cover it in the marinade and leave in the fridge overnight if possible, or for a minimum of 4 hours.

3) Take the lamb out of the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking to allow it to come up to room temperature.

4) Preheat the oven to 1600C. Put the sliced onion into a baking dish and then rest the marinaded lamb on top.

5) Cover the lamb with tented foil and roast for 5 hours, basting occasionally.

6) Remove from the oven, transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest, covered for at least 30 minutes.

7) Serve with minted new potatoes, roasted baby carrots, peas and green beans, plus gravy of course! Enjoy!