One of the first recipes I posted to Feast Wisely was my favourite Sunday roast – a slow cooked lamb shoulder. It’s probably the dish I’d nominate for my last meal. And it’s proved to be way more popular than I expected – over almost 2 years it’s been my third most visited recipe – only out viewed by pork shoulder with crispy crackling sugar free beetroot pickle.
“Spring lamb” in Australia refers to the peak in lamb supply in line with the breeding cycle – lambs are born in Winter and sold in Spring. So with Spring in full bloom I thought it was time to share another variation of slow cooked lamb shoulder.
I left my local farmers market with a 1.3kg shoulder from Mirrool Creek Lamb, a family owned business that’s known for some of the best naturally grown lamb in New South Wales. I paired it with lemon, garlic and rosemary, and added fennel and onion to balance out the meat feast with a few vegetables.
Slow cooked lamb shoulder with fennel
Ingredients
- 1.2kg a 1.6kg lamb shoulder bone-in (serves 4 with sides)
- 30-50ml olive oil
- 2-3 rosemary sprigs, leaves chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 fresh red chilli or 2 tsp dried chilli (optional)
- 1 lemon – zest and juice
- 1 large brown onion, cut into wedges
- 1 fennel bulb, cut into thick slices
Method
- Add the fennel seeds to be a pestle and mortar and roughly grind. Then add the chilli, crushed garlic, rosemary leaves, salt, lemon zest and juice and olive oil. Grind to make a smooth paste.
- Add the chopped onion and fennel to the base of a roasting pan.
- Place the lamb shoulder on top of the vegetables, fat side up. Slice a few cuts into the fat side then evenly massage the paste into the shoulder. Add 1/2 cup water around the lamb.
- Set the oven to 220C and cook the lamb uncovered for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 140C and cook for another 4-5 hours or until the meat is falling from the bone.
- Half way through baste the lamb with the juices. If the meat is drying out during cooking add a little water.
- For extra crispy skin turn the heat back up for the last 5-10 minutes, keeping a close eye on the lamb so it doesn’t burn.
Tip: For the best results massage the lamb with the paste 2 to 24 hours ahead of cooking, and marinate in the fridge. Remove from the fridge an hour before cooking.
Serve with a home-made salsa verde with lots of fresh herbs.
By Laura (Feast Wisely)
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It looks very appetizing Laura and I love the addition of the fennel bulb. I can imagine the flavors! 🙂
Thanks Linda – and yes it was as good as it looks, first time I have experimented with adding fennel at the base and it worked well…..
This is brilliant Laura. Love that you serve it with a home made salsa verde and looks like you roasted it in a terra cotta roasting pan, which most likely add a bit of flavor and even-ness to the roasting. Lovely recipe!
Thanks so much – yes the salsa verde makes a nice addition and the terra cotta roasting pan always looks great on the table too!
What a perfect Sunday roast this would be!! 🙂
Thanks Linda – it is!
I love slow cooked lamb! This recipe sounds delicious!
Thanks so much – yes it was the first time I’d done this exact recipe and it’s a winner!