Slow-roast shoulder of lamb with anchovy & rosemary

Slow-roast shoulder of lamb with anchovy & rosemary

By James Martin
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(34 ratings)
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Prep: 10 mins Cook: 4 hrs

Easy

Serves 6
This generous dish of melt-in-the-mouth lamb feels extravagant, but is an inexpensive way to feed a crowd

Nutrition and extra info

Nutrition: per serving

  • kcal535
  • fat41g
  • saturates19g
  • carbs5g
  • sugars3g
  • fibre1g
  • protein37g
  • salt0.67g
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Ingredients

  • 4 rosemary sprigs, leaves removed
    Rosemary

    Rosemary

    rose-mar-ee

    Rosemary's intense, fragrant aroma has traditionally been paired with lamb, chicken and game…

  • 4 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 1 tbsp capers, finely chopped
    Capers

    Capers

    kay-per

    Capers are the small flower buds of the Capparis shrub, which grows in the Mediterranean. As…

  • 3 anchovy fillets in oil, drained and finely chopped
    Anchovy

    Anchovy

    ann-choe-vee

    Silver, slender salty little fish found mainly around the Black Sea and the Pacific and Atlantic…

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
    olive oil

    Olive oil

    ol-iv oyl

    Probably the most widely-used oil in cooking, olive oil is pressed from fresh olives. It's…

  • 2 whole lemons
    Lemon

    Lemon

    le-mon

    Oval in shape, with a pronouced bulge on one end, lemons are one of the most versatile fruits…

  • 1½ kg shoulder of lamb, on the bone
    Lamb

    Lamb

    laam

    A lamb is a sheep that is under 1 year old; between 1 and 2 years old you will find it sold as…

  • 2 red onions, cut into wedges
  • small glass white wine

Method

  1. Heat oven to 160C/140C fan/gas 3. Finely chop the rosemary, then mix with the garlic, capers, anchovies, olive oil and zest and juice of 1 lemon, reserving the used lemon halves. Make 3-4 slashes across the top of the shoulder, then rub the rosemary mixture all over the lamb.

  2. Scatter the onion into the base of a large roasting tin, cut the remaining lemon in half, squeeze the juices into the tin, and place all the used lemon halves in the tin with the onions. Place the lamb on top and roast for 1 hr. Pour in the wine and roast for a further 3 hrs until the meat is really tender. Leave to rest for 15 mins then serve, pulled into chunks rather than carved, with any pan juices.

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Comments, questions and tips

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RNGoodman's picture
RNGoodman
4th Jan, 2019
5.05
I made this receipe just before Christmas for a dinner party and everyone LOVED it! I was dubious after reading the comments but I made sure the onions and ONE lemon (quartered) were tucked under the shoulder of lamb. For the gravy I added some recurrant jelly and a little bit of sugar. I cooked it at 140 for one hour and 135 for the remaining 3 hours in a fan oven. Delicious and am making it again tonight for another dinner party.
RNGoodman's picture
RNGoodman
4th Jan, 2019
5.05
I made this and everyone LOVED it! I was dubious after reading the comments but I made sure all the onions and two halves of ONE lemon were tucked under the shoulder of lamb and they cooked beautifully. I didn't feel that the lemons gave a bitter taste and no one else did either. I have a fan assisted oven that I turned right down to 135 for the 3 hours of cooking after the initial hour at 150 in my fan oven. I also added some recurrant jelly to the gravy and a little sugar. A delicious pre-Christmas meal that I am making again tonight for friends.
JussieR
10th Aug, 2018
4.05
This a fabulous recipe for the lamb but I do omit the lemons and onions from the baking tray. If your oven cooks it quicker than it says, take it out of the oven! I’ve never had that problem though - the lamb has always been very tasty and moist.
Tatsuya Miwa's picture
Tatsuya Miwa
1st Jul, 2018
5.05
Amazing recipe. Like some of the other comments, the jus does turn out quite sour from the 2 lemons. To remedy this, keep adding sugar bit by bit until the sourness turn into a nice sweet & sour taste. For me, this step is a must.
marychef
2nd Apr, 2018
5.05
I was slightly nervous of this considering some of the comments but it was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe to the letter apart from having the oven lower for a couple of hours because I was going out and so it got longer. I would definitely do it again.
Tommytwoguns
25th Dec, 2015
Cooked for xmas dinner. Followed to the letter. Delicious, and my partners a VERY hard person to please with new flavours. Marinate in the mixture overnight, thats my tip. Added a little sweet chutney to the sauce and even my 7 year old loved it.
nickywoolner
13th Dec, 2015
1.05
also cooked this and it is really bitter, disappointed I've wasted 4 hours cooking something inedible for my family.
Conal
11th Nov, 2015
Great recipe. To take the bitterness from the juices, add a teaspoon of fruity jam, then make your gravy.
Pottage
23rd Sep, 2015
Delicious. I used 1 lemon, 1 kg good quality lamb shoulder and a small roasting tin. Followed instructions. Served with simple mashed swede to soak up the juices. Will definitely be making this often.
Uncompromiser
15th Jun, 2015
1.05
Absolutely dreadful recipe. He's clearly never tried it. Used new season west country shoulder (£20) and followed the recipe to the letter. Firstly, even at 140°c Fan the lamb burnt after 3 hours (ie an hour before the end). It looked nothing like the photo in the recipe which is a nice golden colour. Secondly, the sauce/gravy (which the recipe makes no mention of at the end of preparation - my suggestion would be to throw it away!)is disgusting. Sour lemon/wine taste that you could no more make gravy out of than you could out of coal tar soap. All in all - badly written, badly thought out and a complete waste of a (potentially) nice shoulder of spring lamb.

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hotpots
17th Feb, 2014
I hope to cook this meal in the next few days. My question is do you cover the joint with tinfoil when cooking?
goodfoodteam's picture
goodfoodteam
28th Feb, 2014
Hi there, thanks for getting in touch. No, there is no need to cover the lamb first
Sir Timothy
30th Apr, 2014
Maybe I'd only use one lemon in future, but because it tasted far too lemony, I melted in some redcurrant jelly. I'm not sure what I did differently because there was loads of sauce and once the fat had been separated off, it was completely delicious - so much so that one of our guests asked for bread and poured the left over gravy on to it! The gravy/sauce was still lemony and tangy, but not overpoweringly so and the recurrant jelly softened it. New potatoes and an orange/chicory salad accompanied it. My husband had bought very much reduced shoulder which had been boned and rolled, - it made for much easier carving and four hungry people gobbled up 1 1/2 kgs of it! I cooked it on a very low gas, covered with foil for 4 hours.
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