Meat mains
Slow roasted lamb shoulder with flageolet beans and samphire
Lamb goes wonderfully well with salty, savoury flavours, as here, with anchovies, capers and samphire. This is a hearty dish for a summery Sunday, best enjoyed after getting back from a long walk.
Ingredients
- 2 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped
- 3 garlic cloves
- zest of 1 and juice of ½ lemon
- 3-4 anchovies
- handful fresh parsley leaves
- 1 tbsp capers
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- olive oil
- 1kg boned lamb shoulder
- 150ml white wine
- 200g dried flageolet beans, soaked overnight in cold water
- 1 garlic bulb
- 3 bay leaves
- 200g trimmed and washed samphire
- salt and pepper
Method
-
Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
-
Step 2
Put the rosemary, garlic, lemon zest and juice, anchovies, parsley, capers and vinegar in a small food processor or blender. Pulse and blend, adding olive oil to help loosen until you have a green spreadable paste.
-
Step 3
Spread this paste over the inside of the lamb shoulder and roll up and tie tightly with butcher's string. Season the lamb generously.
-
Step 4
Heat some oil in a pan and brown the outside of the lamb until golden brown.
-
Step 5
Transfer the lamb in to a roasting pan and deglaze the frying pan with a glass of white wine and add along with a glass of water.
-
Step 6
Put in oven for 20 minutes, then cover with foil, drop the oven temperature to 140°C/Gas 1 and cook for 3-4 hours until the lamb is very tender.
-
Step 7
Meanwhile put the beans into a pan with half a bulb of garlic and the bay leaves, cover with cold water and slowly bring to the boil. Skim any scum that rises to the top and simmer for an about an hour or until tender.
-
Step 8
Drain, season and dress with a squeeze of lemon juice and olive oil, keep warm.
-
Step 9
For the samphire, blanch in boiling water for 60 seconds, refresh in ice cold water, drain and set aside.
-
Step 10
When the lamb is cooked tip the liquid from the roasting pan into a jug, cut the strings from the meat and leave to rest for 15 minutes. Skim the fat from the pan juices.
-
Step 11
To serve, warm the beans and fold in the samphire to heat through.
-
Step 12
Carve the lamb in to thick crumbling slices and serve on top of the beans and sauce with the pan juices.
