Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with root veg and homemade mint sauce
YOU WILL NEED
2 carrots, roughly chopped 1 onion, cut into wedges 2 bay leaves vegetable or sunflower oil for frying 2.2kg lamb shoulder 1 garlic bulb rosemary sprigs
1kg mixed root veg, peeled and diced into 2cm cubes few thyme sprigs 800ml stock 250g pearl barley olive oil for roasting, large bunch fresh parsley, chopped
For the mint sauce 20g fresh mint leaves
2 tsp caster sugar 2 tbsp white wine vinegar good pinch fine sea salt
DIRECTIONS
■ Preheat oven to 120°C/100°C Fan/Gas
Mark 1. Put the carrots, onion and bay leaves in a roasting tray that will fit the lamb snugly.
■ Heat a splash oil in a large frying pan and brown the lamb on all sides. Remove the lamb and lay it on the carrots and onion in the tin. Cut small slits in the lamb and poke in some whole garlic cloves and rosemary. Season.
■ Pour 100ml water into the pan, cover tightly with foil and cook for 6½ hours.
■ Put the root veg in a roasting tin and toss in just enough oil to coat. After the lamb has been roasting for 4 hours, put the root veg in the oven too and roast it for 2-2½ hours, until tender.
■ Once the veg are cooking, make the mint sauce by mixing all the ingredients with 3 tbsp of boiling water in a small bowl.
■ Cook the barley after the veg have been in for an hour. Put the stock and barley in a saucepan and simmer for 35-40 minutes.
■ Drain and keep to one side until the root veg is ready, then mix the root veg with the barley and parsley, seasoning well.
■ Skim the fat off the lamb juices and use the leftover sauce for gravy.
Image and recipe courtesy of riverford.co.uk