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Slow roasted Shoulder of lamb for Grandma Betty


It was my Mums birthday on Saturday .... in fact it was her 85th birthday so we threw a surprise lunch for a selection of family and friends both young and old. It was a lovely occasion, I wanted to cook something special but fairly traditional and easy to prepare for ten. I turned to Raymond Blanc's 'Kitchen Secrets' ... it’s not a book I use that much but on the basis of these recipes maybe I should. Both the lamb and the potatoes turned out really well and were gratifyingly easy to prepare.

We served it with some tenderstem broccoli, chantenay carrots and salsa verde.

We had beetroot marinated salmon to start and poached pears to finish.

Raymond Blanc's slow roasted shoulder of lamb

This dish epitomises good home cooking. Shoulder is one of the cheaper cuts of lamb, yet here it is transformed into a wholesome meal – the long, slow cooking rendering the meat tender, juicy and incredibly tasty. Maman Blanc never used stock – just water, herbs and the occasional splash of wine to create delectable cooking juices. A shoulder of lamb will vary in weight according to the time of year. In spring and early summer, it will be about 1.5kg, while in August it could be 2kg, and in November around 3kg, so you’ll need to adjust the cooking time accordingly: a 2kg shoulder will take 4½ hours; one weighing 3kg will need 5½ hours

Ingredients

1.5kg Shoulder of lamb 
700g/1lb 8oz lamb bones your butcher should be able to give you these
4 pinches sea salt and ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
2  sprigs rosemary, leaves only, finely chopped
sage leaves, finely chopped
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 bulb garlic, cut in half horizontally
100ml/4fl oz Chardonnay wine, or other dry white wine
3 sprigs thyme

Method
The lamb can be scored and marinated several hours ahead.
To prepare the lamb
Lightly score the skin of the lamb. Rub all over with the salt, pepper, chopped herbs and olive oil. Set aside to marinate at room temperature for 1 hour
Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas 8. Heat the rapeseed oil in a large heavy-duty roasting pan over a medium heat. Add the lamb bones and meat trimmings and colour, turning from time to time, for 7–10 minutes until lightly golden
Add the garlic and brown for 3 minutes, then take the roasting pan off the heat.
To roast the lamb
Sit the seasoned lamb shoulder on top of the bones and roast in the oven for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small pan, bring the wine to the boil and let bubble for 30 seconds, then add 400ml water, the bay leaf and thyme.
Take the lamb out of the oven and baste the joint with the pan juices, removing any excess fat. Add the wine mixture to the roasting pan, stirring to scrape up the sediment on the base of the pan
Turn the oven to 150ºC/Gas 2. Cover the meat loosely with a piece of foil and return to the oven. Roast for a further 4 hours, basting every 30 minutes with the pan juices.
If, at the end of cooking, the pan juices are reduced right down, stir in about 100ml water to extend the jus.
To serve
Remove the lamb from the oven. Strain the juices into a small saucepan and remove the excess fat from the surface. Set the lamb aside to rest. Reheat the juices until bubbling, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Pour into a warmed sauceboat. Place the lamb and braised vegetables on the table so your guests can help themselves. The lamb will be tender enough to be portioned with a spoon, though you can carve it with a knife if you prefer. 

Potato and fennel gratin

This is actually a recipe for potato and turnip gratin but I decided to change it up a bit with fennel instead of turnips. Seriously satisfying, this is a take on one of the truly great potato dishes. Layers of potato and fennel are cooked in a rich garlic cream to delicious effect. It goes well with any roast  and is especially good with beef but wasn't half bad with lamb either. It has a frightening amount of cream for the feint-hearted (or even those looking after their hearts)but you don't need much and it tastes delicious.
We used Charlotte potatoes but Raymond recommends Desiree or Belle de Fontenay.

Serves 6

Ingredients

550g medium potatoes 
3 large fennel bulbs
500ml whipping cream 10g/10 pinches sea salt 1g/2 pinches freshly ground black or white pepper 10g/2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed


Method

To infuse the cream

In a small pan over a medium heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Add the seasoning and crushed garlic, remove from the heat and set aside to infuse while you prepare the vegetables.
To prepare the vegetables
 
Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan. Peel the potatoes and fennel, and cut into fine (2mm) slices, using a mandoline.

To assemble the dish

Layer half of the potato and turnip slices in a large gratin dish, then pour on half of the warm cream through a strainer. Layer the remaining vegetable slices on top, making sure you finish the gratin with a layer of potatoes only. Strain the remaining cream over and press the potato slices gently with the back of a spoon to ensure the cream is evenly distributed.

To cook

Cover with foil and bake on a baking sheet in the oven for 50 minutes. Remove the foil and sprinkle the grated cheese, if using, evenly over the surface. Bake, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the vegetables are just cooked through. Leave to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Planning ahead

The gratin can be cooked an hour before the meal and reheated for 20 minutes before serving.

Raymond's Notes
The salt and herb rub will permeate the lamb with a subtle flavour. The meat needs to be out of the fridge for at least a couple of hours before cooking to ensure it reaches room temperature before going into the oven.
Do not colour the bones too much, or the resulting jus will taste bitter and astringent. And remember there is 4 hours of slow cooking ahead.
The bones serve two purposes. Firstly, they provide a platform for the lamb joint, allowing the heat to circulate all around it, facilitating even cooking. If the joint sits directly on the base of the pan, the meat in direct contact is liable to dry out. Secondly, the caramelised bones provide the basis for a wonderful pan jus.
Don’t wash the potatoes after slicing them, as the starch present will help to bind the layers together.

The starch in the potatoes will give you a golden caramelisation. If, instead, the top layer was turnip slices, they would dry out and curl up.

To test if the gratin is cooked, insert the tip of a sharp knife in the middle; it should meet with little resistance (you shouldn’t be able to feel the layers).

Variations
Flavour the seasoning rub for the lamb with spices rather than herbs – cumin and coriander seeds will give it an Indian flavour. 




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