Middle Eastern Slow Cooked Shoulder of Lamb
Low and Slow is the name of the game here. This gently spiced lamb dish is a true crowd-pleaser and will be the star of the show at any spread. We recommend serving with a tabbouleh, cous cous or cracked wheat salad and a generous serving of thick strained yoghurt on the side.
Method
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
Make a paste by combining the Ras El Hanout, extra virgin olive oil, pomegranate molasses, ground cumin, ground coriander and a large pinch of salt. Mix well to combine.
Step 2
Remove the lamb shoulder from its packaging and place it onto a chopping board. Pat dry with a kitchen towel and using a sharp knife, score the lamb on the fat side creating a crisis cross pattern. Rub the lamb all over with salt and ground black pepper. Preheat the oven to 140°C fan.
Step 3
Place the lamb into a large frying pan, fat scored side down and turn on the heat. Leave the lamb to fry and allow the fat to render until the fat is golden brown. Turn over the lamb and cook the other side until golden. This process will take about 10-15 minutes. Remove the lamb from the pan and place into a deep, oven-proof baking dish. Pour away any fat that has rendered in the pan. 💡 Make sure to pour this fat into a jar or mug and leave it to cool before throwing it in the bin, rather than pouring it down the sink.
Step 4
Spoon the spice paste you made in Step 1 all over the top of the sealed lamb. Pour the lamb stock into the bottom of the baking dish and cover the whole dish with foil. Place into the preheated oven and leave to cook for a minimum of 5-6 hours. It's a good idea to check that the lamb isn't drying out every few hours and add a little more stock if needed. You could turn the oven even lower (100°C) and cook it overnight if you prefer.
Step 5
Once the lamb is super tender and all the bones are all exposed, remove the foil and turn the oven to 170°C fan. Drain the liquid off from the backing dish, spoon off a majority of the fat and place into a jug or small saucepan ready to reheat when you serve the lamb. Place the lamb back into the oven to allow the top to crisp for a further 25 minutes. The crust will look dark, this is expected due to the pomegranate molasses (and totally delicious).
Step 6
Serve the lamb on a big serving platter. Garnish with fresh herbs (mint, parsley or coriander work well), a few pomegranate seeds (optional but beautiful) and a drizzle more pomegranate molasses and the lamb sauce. Use forks or tongs to shred the lamb per person.
Step 7
Heat the grains and fold through the remaining pomegranate seeds, chopped herbs and some Greek yoghurt if using.
- Ingredients
- Based on 4 servings
-
1 tbsp Ras El Hanout 1x Sainsbury's Ras El Hanout, Inspired to Cook 45g -
1 Whole Bone in Shoulder Of Lamb, fat scroed 1x Sainsbury's Lamb Whole Shoulder Joint -
2 tbsp Pomegranate Molasses 1x Odysea Pomegranate Molasses 250ml -
2 tsp Ground Cumin 1x Sainsbury's Ground Cumin 43g -
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1x Sainsbury's Olive Oil, Extra Virgin 500ml -
15g Mint, picked 1x Sainsbury's Fresh Packed Mint 30g -
500g Cooked Grains 2x Merchant Gourmet Simply Cooked Red & White Quinoa 250g -
80g Pomegranate Seeds 1x Sainsbury's Pomegranate 80g -
500 ml Lamb Stock Cube 1x Knorr Lamb Stock Pot 4x28g -
2 tsp Ground Corriander 1x Sainsbury's Ground Coriander 36g -
200g Greek Yoghurt, to serve 1x Sainsbury's Greek Style Natural Yogurt 200g -
Maldon Salt, to taste 1x Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 250g