Monday, November 09, 2009

Pot-roasted lamb shoulder

I took on board Elwyn's comment (below my oxtail stew entry) when I pot-roasted a whole shoulder of lamb for our fireworks party. (Rain washed out the fireworks, so we simply ate and drank). I browned the onions in oil in my casserole dish first, but after that followed the principle behind the oxtail stew, throwing the rest of the ingredients into the pot: lamb, 2 bay leaves, sprig of rosemary, 1 head of garlic separated into cloves, salt. I had only about 50mls of chicken stock, which I poured in along with half a chicken stock cube. You may frown - but I think the cube added richness to the sauce, of which there was plenty for eight people.

You're supposed to cook meat gently. But shoulder of lamb is very forgiving. Because I was using my heaviest pot, I started cooking the dish at gas mark 6/200C, turning it down after an hour and half - and turning over the meat - once it was bubbling. The lamb, like the oxtail, browned inside the pot.

After another 45 minutes, I put the pot on the bottom of the oven, turned up the dial to 6 again, and roasted some potatoes on the top shelf.

At the end of all that, I was able to carve the meat with a spoon and fork. I strained the sauce (squeezing the garlic into it), and returned meat and sauce to the pot, to serve as a kind of stew. It was meltingly tender.

5 comments:

Paperback Lover said...

Hello,
this is so out of subject, but I have searched all over the place for an answer to my question. Hope you can help me. What happend to the short list of the 50 best paperbacks of 2009 that was posted in Times online in september? I thought you were to present one title a week until the 12th of december. i'm so curious.

By the way, the lamb shoulder recipe sounds lovely.

Nicholas Clee said...

I don't know, Paperback Lover - I'm merely a contributor. You could try "books at thetimes dot co dot uk". Hope that helps.

Paperback Lover said...

Thank you for your help!

Cast iron cooking utensils said...

These pans have a nonstick surface and are perfect for egg dishes like scrambled eggs, pineapple and corn bread face-down cakes. Cast iron pots pans enters, tetsubin, Dutch ovens, fryers, plates and grills Potjie carrier and woks.

Alex said...

That last comment is just an advert. Which is annoying me. So I'll counter it not by indignation but by recommending a different company if anyone reading this wants cast iron pots: buy them through a company called Dexam that trades on Amazon marketplace. Better prices, efficient delivery.