Slow-braised lamb shoulder with salsa verde
The smell of a lamb shoulder slowly bubbling away in the oven on a Sunday is hard to beat. Simple yet deeply flavoured, this slow-braised lamb is everything you want from a Sunday roast: tender, comforting and made for sharing. Paired with a bright, briny salsa verde to cut through the lamb’s richness, I promise it’ll become your weekend go-to when you feel like slowing down.
SERVES: 4 with leftovers PREP TIME: 15 MINS TOTAL TIME: 4.5-5 HRS
INGREDIENTS
1 bone-in lamb shoulder, approximately 2–2.2 kg
4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut into slivers
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp smoked paprika
`1 brown onion, sliced into thick wedges
1 whole garlic bulb, halved horizontally
4 rosemary sprigs
4 thyme sprigs
250 ml dry white wine
500 ml chicken bone broth or stock
2 tbsp white miso paste
SALSA VERDE
1 large bunch flat-leaf parsley
1 big handful fresh mint
1 small garlic clove, bashed and peeled
1-2 tbsp capers
2-3 anchovy fillets
Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
125 ml extra virgin olive oil
A touch of honey for sweetness
Sea salt & black pepper
METHOD
Remove the lamb from the fridge approximately 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 230°C conventional or 210°C fan-forced.
Make small, deep incisions all over the lamb and push the garlic well inside.
Place the lamb fat-side up in a deep roasting tray. Drizzle over the EVOO, the rub the smoked paprika, salt and pepper so its well covered and seasoned.
Roast the lamb uncovered for 25–30 minutes, until the outside is deeply golden and beginning to caramelise.
Remove the tray from the oven and reduce the temperature to 150°C conventional or 140°C fan-forced.
Pop the onion discs under the lamb so it makes a bit of a trivett - then scatter the halved garlic bulb, rosemary and thyme around the lamb.
Whisk the white wine, chicken stock and miso together until the miso has dissolved. Carefully pour the liquid around the lamb, rather than over it, to preserve its browned exterior.
Cover the lamb with baking paper followed by foil - making sure there’s no where for the steam to escape. Return it to the oven and cook for 3½–4 hours, or until the meat is very tender. Check it after three hours and add a splash of water or stock if the liquid has reduced too far.
While the lamb is cooking, make the salsa verde. Add all the ingredients to a bullet blender and season to taste - being careful not to add to much salt as the capers and anchovies are already briney. Blitz until it reaches your desired consistency.
Remove lamb for the oven and allow to rest for about 10-15 mins, lightly covered.
Squeeze the softened roasted garlic from its skin and stir it through the braising juices.
Shred the lamb and allow to sit in the juices for a couple of mins to keep absorbing the flavour before you serve to good friends and family with the salsa verde, a side of bitter leaves, a big bowl of brothy beans and some olive oil mashed potato - and be sure to spoon that glorious braising liquid all over the shredded meat.
Buon appetito 🍋
