Ingredients
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Shoulder of lamb (2-3kg)
Olive oil (100ml)
Zest & juice of lemon (1 )
Finely chopped rosemary (1 tbsp)
Dried oregano (1 tbsp)
Dried thyme (1 tsp)
Dried chilli flakes (1 tsp)
Finely chopped garlic (6 cloves)
Blackthorn sea salt (1 tbsp)
Ground pepper (1 tsp)
Butcher's twine (1 metre)
Our butcher will have taken the bone off the shoulder or leg. If you are doing this recipe – ask him not to roll or tie it. Take the shoulder and lay fat side down in a large roasting tin. Take a sharp knife and slash the meat a few times – to let the marinade soak deep into the shoulder. Place good lengths of butcher’s twine 25mm apart beneath the lamb [you’re going to roll it shortly].
Mix all the marinade ingredients together and pour over the meat rubbing it into the cuts and folds.
Now loosely roll the shoulder, and taking the central piece of twine, tie a tight knot several times so the twine remains tight. Do this until you have tied all the strings. There will be a fair bit of oil and marinade left in the pan – just roll the shoulder around to coat it and sprinkle more sea salt over the skin. Leave for a few hours to let the flavours develop.
Pre-heat the oven to 160 degrees. Pour a cup of water into the roasting pan and cover the pan with foil and roast for an hour. After an hour pour in a glass of white wine. Not essential if you’re on the wagon. You’re just checking at this point to make sure there is enough moisture in the pan. Recover and roast slowly for another hour.
After the 2nd hour the lamb will be ready – but we like to derive more flavour now. Turn the heat up to 220 degrees and remove the foil. Pour out most of the remaining liquid into a pan – and start reducing that. Put the lamb in the over for another 20-30 minutes to get the fat on the edges crisping up.
If you can this last step can be done on the BBQ. Roll the shoulder slowly over the coals to get colour and crisp up the skin. Rest the joint now while your sauce reduces. Taste for seasoning to suit, freshen perhaps with some wine and lemon juice, a few sprigs of fresh herbs. Add a knob of butter. Slice the lamb in the pan and pour over the sauce. Delicious!
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