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

1. 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.
2. Add the chopped onion and fennel to the base of a roasting pan.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Half way through baste the lamb with the juices. If the meat is drying out during cooking add a little water.
6. 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)

You may also like:

• Lamb ribs, oven cooked & BBQ finished
• Pork shoulder slow-cooked with crunchy crackling
• Pulled pork sliders with BBQ sauce – no added sugar
• Tandoori chicken oven-cooked
• Whole roast duck