Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder

I love a roast dinner – there’s something about it that feels so homely, and with friends of ours coming over for dinner (who have recently emigrated to Hong Kong) I decided to do a traditional British supper to welcome them back to the country.  This time of year is all about Spring Lamb and slow roasting it really shows it off at its best!  Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder is definitely a firm favourite in our household!Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder by Emma Eats & Explores - SCD, Paleo, Grainfree, Glutenfree, Dairyfree, Sugarfree, Primal, Whole30, Low Carb, LCHF

The thing I love about slow roasts is that you can’t really go wrong – the time scale doesn’t matter too much – you can under-do it, but it’s pretty hard to over-cook it.  The longer it stays in the oven, the better it gets – perfect if you find yourself having a catch up and dinner gets pushed back a bit!

The cooking guidelines obviously vary with the size of the piece of meat that you use, but mine was 2kgs and was in the oven for 4 1/2 hours.  This sized lamb shoulder was plenty for four of us with lots of left-overs so it probably serves 6!

So how to prepare the meat…  

Start by preheating the oven to 170C (340F).

Begin the prep by chopping the garlic into fairly thick slices – maybe 3 or 4 slices per clove and then place the lamb, fat side up and score small incisions with a sharp knife all over the fat of the lamb shoulder.  Stuff a piece of garlic into each incision along with a small sprig of fresh rosemary.Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder by Emma Eats & Explores - SCD, Paleo, Grainfree, Glutenfree, Dairyfree, Sugarfree, Primal, Whole30, Low Carb, LCHF

Then layer the anchovy fillets on top of the lamb shoulder.  I promise it wont taste fishy – it just really adds a lovely salty, umami taste to the whole Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder – I don’t even really like anchovies and you can’t taste them at all!  If you’re really worried about the anchovies then leave them out and just use regular olive oil or butter to drizzle over the lamb shoulder (see later for this step).Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder by Emma Eats & Explores - SCD, Paleo, Grainfree, Glutenfree, Dairyfree, Sugarfree, Primal, Whole30, Low Carb, LCHF

Slice the onions and layer them on a baking tray along with any leftover rosemary and garlic that you may have.  Place the shoulder of lamb on top of the onions and drizzle the anchovy oil over the whole thing.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Add 100ml of water to the baking tray.

Now you have to enclose the lamb.  Using tin foil, cover the lamb and the tray entirely so that it can steam inside the foil – you want to try to not have any gaps in the tin foil at all.

Pop the lamb into the pre-heated oven and leave to roast for about 4 hours.  After the 4 hours, remove the tin foil and cook for a further 30mins so that the lamb has a chance to brown and crisp up.  You can then pretty much leave it in the oven until you are ready to serve it – you may want to rest it for 10-15 mins when it comes out of the oven so that the juices have a chance to drain.

If you want to, you can make a gravy from the juices and the onions in the bottom of the baking tray.  Collect the juices from the resting lamb and those in the bottom of the baking tray.  Skim off as much fat from the surface as possible.  Blend these with the onions using a Hand Blender then reduce the sauce in a pan (heat on low for about 10-15 minutes) on the hob until it thickens slightly (as I can’t use flour to thicken my sauces).

Doesn’t it look amazing!

You almost don’t need to carve it, it just falls away from the bone, and the fat has all melted and the skin is lovely and crisp.  Give it a try – it’s so easy to make and looks so much more impressive than the actual effort required to cook it.  I’m sure Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder will become a family favourite in your house too!Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder by Emma Eats & Explores - SCD, Paleo, Grainfree, Glutenfree, Dairyfree, Sugarfree, Primal, Whole30, Low Carb, LCHF

I served it with potatoes dauphinoise (for the others), Cauliflower Mash, Honey & Thyme Roasted Carrots, and Roasted Fennel for a proper Roast Dinner!Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder by Emma Eats & Explores - SCD, Paleo, Grainfree, Glutenfree, Dairyfree, Sugarfree, Primal, Whole30, Low Carb, LCHF

I then served my Apple & Cinnamon Crumble for dessert – you can’t get more British than that!  If you love this you’ll love my Slow Cooker Lamb Shanks too!

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder by Emma Eats & Explores - SCD, Paleo, Grainfree, Glutenfree, Dairyfree, Sugarfree, Primal, Whole30, Low Carb, LCHF

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 10 minutes
Course Main Dish
Cuisine British, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Grain-Free, Low Carb, Paleo, Primal, Refined Sugar-Free, SCD, Whole30
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 kg Lamb Shoulder
  • 3 onions
  • 30 g tinned anchovies in oil
  • 6 cloves garlic
  • 20 g fresh rosemary
  • 100ml water
  • salt & pepper

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 170C (340F)
  • Score small slits into the lamb fat and stuff with large slices of garlic and rosemary sprigs.
  • Layer the anchovy fillets on top of the lamb. Keep the oil for step 5.
  • Slice the onions into rings and layer on a baking tray along with any leftover garlic and rosemary.
  • Sit the lamb shoulder on top of the onions, drizzle with the anchovy oil and season well with salt & pepper.
  • Add the water to the bottom of the baking tray.
  • Cover the lamb and baking tray entirely in tin foil so there are no gaps.
  • Roast in the oven for 4 hours.
  • After 4 hours, remove tin foil and cook for a further 30 minutes.
  • Rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

To make the Gravy

  • Collect the juices that run off the lamb and any in the bottom of the baking tray.
  • Skim off as much of the fat as possible.
  • Blend the juices with the roasted onions using a stick blender.
  • Reduce on the stove on a low heat to thicken further if necessary.

Dietary & Allergy Information for Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder

This recipe is suitable for the following diets:

Grain-Free, Gluten-Free, Refined-Sugar Free, Dairy Free, Paleo, Primal, Specific Carbohydrate Diet – SCD, Whole30, Low Carb & LCHF.

See my Products Page for Ingredients & Bakeware that I recommend.

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