Sunday roast lamb

Karoo lamb with its distinctive herbaceous flavour needs no frills to be magnificent. Traditionally, a plate of Karoo food consists of three meats and two veg (with rice and potatoes too!).

Serves 6

Preparation: 20 minutes

Cooking time: 4 hours, 15 minutes (or overnight) Oven temperature: 150°C

• 2kg Karoo lamb shoulder

• 30ml olive oil

• a generous pinch of salt and pepper • 2 large onions, cut into wedges

• 4 sprigs thyme

• 2 sprigs rosemary

• 2 garlic cloves, halved

• 2 bay leaves

1 Preheat the oven. Make sure the meat is at room temperature and rub all over with the olive oil, salt, pepper and herbs. Place the meat in a large ovenproof pan along with the onions, garlic and bay leaves. Add 2 cups of boiling water to the pan and cover tightly with a lid or foil. Put it in the oven and forget about it for 4 hours. (You can also bake it at 100°C for 8 hours or overnight).

2 Increase the oven temperature to 220°C, baste the lamb with the pan juices and grill uncovered for another 15 minutes or until nicely browned.

This step is optional but as you know, we ‘eat’ with our eyes and few things are as delicious as crispy fat.

3 Remove the meat, garlic and any large pieces of onion from the dish and keep warm. Scoop off any excess fat from the pan juices and reduce to create a delicious gravy. You can also jazz up the gravy with a spoonful of strong mustard, enrich it with cream if you feel decadent or thicken it with a spoonful of potato flour or maizena. Serve the lamb with roast potatoes and pumpkin (my personal favourite!).