Herby baked lamb in tomato sauce

Herby baked lamb in tomato sauce

Cook this 'low and slow' in its own sauce til it's so tender you can carve it with a spoon

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4 with leftovers

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 5 mins

Cook time

Cook 4 hrs 15 mins

Freezable

Leftover meat can be shredded and frozen in sauce

Method

  1. Heat oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas 7. Put the lamb into a large ovenproof dish. Pour the oil into a small food processor with the oregano and rosemary leaves and the garlic, then whizz to a rough paste. Season the paste well, rub all over the lamb, then roast for 20 mins. Cover, lower the oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2, then roast for a further 3 hrs.
  2. Remove the lamb from the oven and carefully pour off all the fat, leaving any meat juices in the dish if you can. Pour over the wine and tomatoes, poke in the remaining herb sprigs, then return, uncovered, to the oven for a further 40 mins. The lamb should now be tender enough to cut with a fork or spoon.
  3. Carefully pour or spoon the wine and tomato sauce into another pan, skimming off any fat that rises to the surface, then re-cover the lamb. Let it rest for up to 30 mins while you roast the potatoes and finish the sauce. Heat the tomato mixture until bubbling, then simmer for 10-15 mins until thickened and saucy. Season with the sugar, and some salt and pepper if it needs it, then pour back around the lamb to serve.
Try

TAGLIATELLE WITH LAMB RAGU

Shred the remaining lamb into small pieces, mix with any leftover sauce, then pop in the fridge overnight. The next day, stir through a 400g can chopped tomatoes or 400ml passata, 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp leftover oregano leaves. Heat gently in a pan while you cook 400g tagliatelle, then toss through the drained pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan to serve.

TIP

If you'd rather use leg of lamb, simply rotate it every hour in the sauce so that it stays moist. Whichever cut you choose, buy it on the bone - as the meat cooks it will gain flavour.

PER SERVING

595 kcalories, protein 42g, carbohydrate 11g, fat 40 g, saturated fat 19g, fibre 1g, sugar 10g, salt 0.51 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, May 2009.

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Latest comments and suggestions

Results 1-20

  • Binder photo Ellie

    03 May 2009

    Ellie rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    The lamb was very tender but the sauce was very acidic, despite the sugar - not sure if there was anything else I should have done. Smelt lovely in the oven though!

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  • Binder photo angela31

    03 May 2009

    angela31 rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Completely agree - the meat was lovely and tender and we were all salivating at the smell of it cooking. But the sauce was defintely too overpowering and acidic - despite adding some more sugar. Next time will use less wine or maybe add the sauce ingredients to the meat earlier to give it longer to cook and mellow. Nice meat though with lots left for tomorrow!

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  • Binder photo kittyk8te

    04 May 2009

    kittyk8te rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This was perfect and absolutely delicious! The meat was incredibly tender and flavoursome, it just fell off the bone. The sauce was rich but not at all acidic - and I forgot to add to the sugar! I didn't have a big enough casserole so I used a roasting pan, covered it with foil, then took the lamb out and reduced the sauce on the hob. It worked a treat and everyone loved it. I'm really looking forward to the leftovers tonight!

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  • Binder photo jo62

    04 May 2009

    jo62 rated and commented on this recipe

    2 stars

    Agree with previous comments about the sauce. It seems to have been added far too late to develop any sort of richness of flavour.Tasted 'raw' - as if I had tipped two tins of tomatoes over the lamb as an afterthought. There are much tastier recipes for lamb than this one.

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  • Binder photo Amy

    08 May 2009

    Amy commented on this recipe

    gorgeous! Made it with a half leg as that was all I could find. Definitely make it again.

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  • Binder photo Pat

    09 May 2009

    Pat rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Our guests said it was the 'best lamb they had ever tasted'.

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  • Binder photo denisebrise

    30 May 2009

    denisebrise commented on this recipe

    After reading the reviews I prepared the sauce like a ragout, reducing the wine and adding some stock to enhance the taste. The meat was absolutely amazing, though!

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  • Binder photo Jo

    31 May 2009

    Jo rated and commented on this recipe

    3 stars

    I cooked this the day before & stripped the meat off the bone so it was easier to serve on the day - all i had to do was heat it up. Only ok this recipe & I'd probably use lamb shanks next time.

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  • Binder photo Maxine

    12 June 2009

    Maxine rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I think this was one of the best lamb recipes that I have ever done. The meat really did fall off the bone and I could 'carve' it with a spoon. In addition to the herbs, I added a cinnamon stick (inspired by Greek stifado). It gave it a lovely flavour. I'm cooking it again tomorrow for my parents - I know they'll love it.

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  • Binder photo austinali66

    15 June 2009

    austinali66 rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    This does take quite a long time to cook but its is worth it for the melt in the mouth texture of the the meat at the end. I did feel that the two tins of tomatoes and 600ml of wine was rather too much liquid but I am using the leftover sauce and lamb to make the suggested ragu pasta sauce tonight.

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  • Binder photo Astra

    06 July 2009

    Astra rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    When I took the sauce out of the oven, it was still very acidic, but all it needed was reducing down. I had it on a rolling boil for about 20 mins until it had reduced to about 1/2 and it was absolutely lovely.

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  • Binder photo Emma

    18 September 2009

    Emma rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo be2970

    26 October 2009

    be2970 commented on this recipe

    Haven't found shoulder of lamb, could i use a leg of lamb?

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  • Binder photo be2970

    26 October 2009

    be2970 commented on this recipe

    Haven't found shoulder of lamb, could i use a leg of lamb?

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  • Binder photo kath

    07 January 2010

    kath rated this recipe

    5 stars

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  • Binder photo digsy

    07 February 2010

    digsy rated this recipe

    3 stars

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  • Binder photo Lynne

    14 February 2010

    Lynne rated this recipe

    4 stars

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  • Binder photo lisamary

    09 April 2010

    lisamary rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Love this recipe, it's become a real fave in our house. I normally add a good handful of anchovies to the paste, adds a nice level of savouriness, and the lamb ragu made from the leftovers is seriously heavenly.

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  • Binder photo lyndsey

    15 April 2010

    lyndsey commented on this recipe

    made this as a meal for some famly it tasted fab, we had hardly any let to make the ragu!. served it with the lemon and oregano roast potatoes as suggested with green veg cooked in stock am making again this week.

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  • Binder photo Rick

    15 October 2010

    Rick rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Absolutely beautiful, I used a leg joint and added honey (as well as the sugar in the recipe) towards the end to reduce the sharpness. The herby sauce is lovely and goes well with asparagus, broccoli and carrots but the best bit of all is serving with a wooden spoon from the pot! A favourite!

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Serves 4 with leftovers

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 5 mins

Cook time

Cook 4 hrs 15 mins

Freezable

Leftover meat can be shredded and frozen in sauce

Ingredients

  • 1.8-2kg shoulder of lamb
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 3 oregano sprigs, leaves stripped from 2
  • 3 rosemary sprigs, leaves stripped from 2
  • 3 garlic cloves , roughly chopped
  • 600ml red wine
  • 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
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PER SERVING

595 kcalories, protein 42g, carbohydrate 11g, fat 40 g, saturated fat 19g, fibre 1g, sugar 10g, salt 0.51 g

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