Slow Roast Lamb shoulder
Serves 6
The recipe comes from The Health Emporium, A family owned organic grocer nestled in the heart of Bondi, filled with peace, love and delicious organic whole foods.
This slow-cooked lamb will be the most tender, incredibly flavoursome roast you’ve ever had.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 tbsp dried oregano , dried
6 cloves garlic , crushed
2 tsp salt
2 tsp pepper
5 tbsp olive oil
2 kg organic boneless lamb shoulder
1/3 cup red wine vinegar , or lemon juice
2/3 cup water
1 lemon , cut into wedges
METHOD
Preheat oven to 220C.
Make a marinade by mixing the rosemary, oregano, garlic, salt, pepper and olive oil together. Rub this paste all over the lamb shoulder and set aside for 30 minutes at room temperature. You could also marinate the lamb in the fridge for a few hours or even overnight. Just make sure you bring the lamb to room temperature for half an hour before cooking.
Lay the lamb shoulder in a large baking dish and pour the vinegar or lemon juice and water around it. Cover the baking dish with baking paper and foil or with a tight-fitting lid.
Put the lamb into the oven and immediately reduce the temperature. You can cook the lamb at 120C for 6 hours or at 160C for 3 hours. Check the baking dish once or twice during the cooking period, adding a little more water if necessary.
Take the lamb out of the oven. Increase the temperature to 200C and change to grill function. Grill the lamb for for 3-5 minutes each side until brown and crispy.
Break the lamb into large pieces and serve on a platter accompanied with roast potatoes, tzatziki, a Greek salad and lemon wedges.
To make a delicious Greek salad lay sliced cos lettuce, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, capsicums, red onions and black olives onto a serving dish. Sprinkle over crumbled feta cheese, dill sprigs, sliced mint leaves and a little dried oregano, and dress with olive oil, lemon juice or red wine vinegar, salt and pepper.
Whip up an easy tzatziki by grating one Lebanese cucumber and squeezing it very dry. Mix it in a small bowl with 1 cup of sheep’s or thick Greek yoghurt, 2 tablespoons each of chopped dill and mint leaves, 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 crushed garlic clove, a squeeze of lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste.
WINE PAIRING
By Simon McInerney, Paddington Fine Wines
As the season changes and the air starts to get a little colder, the rose and chilled whites start to take a back seat in our house as I look more to pair food with light to medium bodied reds. Wines like Pinot Noir, Grenache as well as the broader red wine styles from cold climate regions around the globe come to mind.
For this recipe in particular, the slow cooking of the lamb shoulder seals the lovely gamey flavours of the lamb fantastically. With this extended cooking time, I feel we need to look for a wine that carries more weight than Pinot Noir, whilst still having the right balance of tannin and acidity.
My pick: Warramate Cabernet Merlot Malbec 2020 ($34.99 single bottle / $31.99 members price on 3 or more bottles)
This estate is the lesser-known sibling of Yarra Yering, an icon of the Yarra Valley that needs no introduction. Some of these Warramate Cabernet vines date back to 1970, only a year younger than Yarra Yering, and for this vintage some excess Merlot from Yarra Yering was used to form part of the blend. The wine shows bright and lifted red berry notes on the nose, flowing to a seamless and subtle palate with soft tannins, allspice and jubey notes. The wine can be enjoyed now in its youth or cellared for around 5 years.