How to slow-roast a lamb shoulder
What happens when you s-l-o-w cook lamb shoulder? Freaking magic, that’s what. All those connective tissues and layers of fat just melt away, making the flesh soft and ridiculously tender; if we used the despised ‘moist’ word, we’d have applied it here. That’s how good this lamb is. And if you’re useless at carving – happy days – it doesn’t matter with this roast. You literally just look at it and it falls apart.
1. Combine 1 tbsp sumac, 1 tbsp cumin seeds, 1 broken up cinnamon stick, 2 cloves, 1 star anise, 1 tsp fennel seeds, 1 tsp each ground allspice, ginger, cardamom and nutmeg, and a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
2. Dry roast the spice mixture in a medium frypan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, until they smell aromatic. Toss the pan occasionally and don’t turn your back on them!
3. They should look like this; nice and toasty. And they should smell amazing. Remove from the heat, cool the spices slightly, then blitz them in a clean coffee grinder. Or use a mortar and pestle. Either way, you want a reasonably fine grind.
4. Transfer to a bowl, then add 4 crushed garlic cloves, a finely grated 3cm piece of ginger, 60ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil and the juice of 1 lemon. Stir well to create a paste.
5. Place a bone-in 1.5kg lamb shoulder on a roasting tray, then pour over the paste.
6. Roll your sleeves up, then massage the paste into the lamb all over using clean hands. Use disposable gloves if you like.
7. Cover the tray with cling film or foil, then leave in the fridge overnight. If you need to fast-track this, you can just marinade it for 2-3 hours but overnight is better. #flavour
8. Place the lamb in a snug-fitting roasting dish, casserole or Dutch oven. We used a deep Lodge cast iron casserole but a roasting dish works just as well. Bung it in a pre-heated 160°C oven, then roast, uncovered, for 1½ hours. Remove from the oven, baste the lamb with the juices, then cover the pan with a lid or tight fitting foil. Roast for another 2- 2½ hours, or until a skewer meets absolutely no resistance.
9. Remove the lamb from the oven, then rest it for at least 20 minutes. Now you’re good to go. Note that you can serve your lamb with roast kumara, pumpkin, parsnips and potatoes, cooking these in a separate dish; add them to the oven about an hour before your lamb will finish resting. They’ll mop up the lovely lamb-y juices.