Middle Eastern Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder

Middle Eastern slow-cooked lamb shoulder
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Wholesome by SarahRecipe courtesy of Wholesome by Sarah: Fast Weeknight Dinner Ideas for the Whole Family by Sarah Pound, RRP $49.99, Macmillan

Unbelievably simple to prepare and the result is succulent, fall apart lamb that’s an absolute flavour bomb.

Ingredients

  • 2kg lamb shoulder, bone in
  • 1 tablespoon salt flakes
  • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 4 onions, quartered
  • 80 g (2/3 cup) dried cranberries
  • 500 ml (2 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
  • flat-leaf parsley or mint leaves, to serve

Middle Eastern slow-cooked lamb shoulder

MIDDLE EASTERN MARINADE

  • 100 g honey
  • 4–5 cm piece of ginger, finely chopped
  • 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • finely grated zest and juice of 2 oranges
  • 2 tablespoons ras el hanout (or dried Moroccan spice blend)

TO SERVE

  • roast potatoes
  • green bean salad
  • Cabbage, Fennel & Currant Slaw

Method

Let’s go! Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan-forced).

Place the lamb in a large, deep casserole dish. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle on the olive oil. Roast the lamb in the oven for 35 minutes until the skin is caramelised and lovely and brown.

On to the marinade. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then set aside.

Remove the lamb from the oven. Reduce the temperature to 140°C (fan-forced).

Time for some flavour. Add the onion and dried cranberries to the dish and pour the stock around the lamb to cover the base. Spoon the marinade over the lamb, be very generous with this. Reserve a little to baste the lamb while cooking.

Cover the dish with a tight-fitting lid. Slow-cook in the oven for 6–7 hours, basting with the marinade every couple of hours, until the lamb pulls away easily from the bone.

Transfer the lamb to a large serving plate. Drizzle on some of the pan juices and top with the parsley or mint. Serve with roast potatoes and a crunchy green bean salad or slaw.

TIPS

If you don’t have a large enough casserole dish, you can cook the lamb in a deep roasting tin. Make sure when covering the tin with foil that it is very tightly wrapped to stop air and moisture escaping.

Depending on your oven, the lamb may require slightly longer. It is perfect when a fork pulls the meat away easily from the bone.