For Father’s Day lunch, my mother suggested roast lamb. My dad is now in his eighties and quite a fussy eater, but a good roast is something he’ll eat with relish.
Of course, this meant getting up at 6am on Sunday morning to prep the meat, which wasn’t particularly easy as we’d been at a 50th birthday dinner the night before. Thank goodness for Jamie! His roasted lamb shoulder recipe was an absolute stunner and will be our house standard from now on…
I began with two 1.5kg lamb shoulders from George at Dulwich Hill Gourmet Meats. Jamie uses a single 2.5kg shoulder, but I’ve never seen them quite that large here. I baked each cut in its own Falcon enamel roasting pan side by side in my 90cm oven.
Here’s our take on Jamie’s recipe…
- handful of garlic cloves
- bunch of rosemary
- olive oil
- sea salt
- 1.5kg lamb shoulder (I baked double this amount – two shoulders – for seven adults, and we had about half a shoulder leftover)
- 2 onions
1. Preheat the oven to 175C (I used the top and bottom elements only, without the fan). Peel and chop the garlic cloves coarsely, strip the rosemary leaves off the stems and then combine both in a bowl with a generous glug of olive oil and salt (Jamie uses a mortar and pestle, but I was too hungover to wrestle it out of the pantry at 6am). Give the mixture a good squelch with your hand.
2. Peel and chop the onion into eighths. Lightly oil the roasting pan – it should be a snug fit – then lay in the onion wedges to form a base to rest the meat on.
3. Stab the lamb several times with a sharp knife, then rub over the garlic and rosemary, pushing bits of garlic into the cuts. Place it on top of the onions, then add 50ml of water. Cover tightly with foil and cook for three hours. Over that time, the house will start to smell amazing.
4. After three hours, remove the foil and carefully pour all the juices and fat into a bowl. Add another 200ml of water to the pan and return to the oven (uncovered) for a further 45 minutes to an hour, until the meat is well browned and incredibly tender. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t burn or dry out – add more water if needed.
5. Remove the finished meat from the oven and cover with clean foil, then allow to rest until serving time. Mum and dad were running a bit late, so we put our covered meat back into the oven after the potatoes were done to warm up a little in the residual heat.
The leftover bowl of pan drippings didn’t go to waste – the potatoes and pumpkin were tossed in a large spoonful of lamb fat before baking, and the rich stock was used for gravy (cooked up with a little flour, a dash of port and seasoned carefully with salt and pepper).
I was seriously chuffed with how well this turned out – and not just because it looked almost exactly like the photo in the book! The meat was sticky and incredibly tender – the bones pulled out cleanly and we shredded and served the meat with two forks. Pete commented that the days of carving lamb are over!
The quality of the lamb shoulders was amazing – full credit to George and Yiota for always having such superb meat on offer. They weren’t cheap – $46 for both shoulders – but that was more than enough for seven adults, and we could easily have fed ten to twelve. That’s surprisingly economical for such a protein rich, special occasion meal!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
What a fantastic meal for Father’s Day! I am sure your Dad had no problem to polish off his plate….
superb meal, Celia!
(I had a trip last week, and another two weeks trip coming up, so I might be a little absent from the blogosphere…. nothing personal, my dear!)
Thanks darling woman, hope the trips are all enjoyable ones! xxx
Can’t beat a good roast. I bet everybody had a fabulous meal.
Have a wonderful week ahead Celia.
:-) Mandy xo
Mandy, we all ate until we were stuffed – so much so that we could only manage toast for dinner! :) Hope your week is going well too!
My hub would LOVE this. Lamb is his favorite. So, do you think that you are getting your money’s worth with “Save With Jamie”? I have most of his books and love them, but not this one yet. Hugs, Maz
Maz, I love Save With Jamie – it’s the one I’m using the most at the moment. It’s VERY meat heavy though…
There truly is something special about a lamb roast and that looks a beauty!
I would never come between you and Jamie but for me the king of the lamb roast is Shane Delia, 12 slow hours to lamb perfection.
I have had his at Maha, and also my version of his recipe with lamb or goat….oh so good!
I believe It better to pay more for ethical quality meat as you can really taste the difference.
What time next sunday???
Jason dear, I’d have had to start the roast before going to bed if I wanted to roast for 12 hours, and I really wasn’t in any state to after a night of partying… :D
Where was my invite?! Looks like a fabulous feast Celia! Purchasing large cuts of meat can definitely get a little pricey, but it is so worth it for the quality. And if I recall correctly, doesn’t Jamie mention in his series, ‘ You have to spend a little bit more… to get more…” Something like that? Happy Father’s Day to all!! xx
Thanks Em! I’ve saved you a plate in the fridge.. ;-)
That does look fabulous! I’m sure it was devoured by all. I just did a currency conversion (!) and must say that by London standards, the cost is very reasonable for top quality meat. I cook leg of lamb by stabbing it all over and then stuffing the pockets with garlic, rosemary and anchovy and roasting till pink – I am quite sure that’s another JO recipe – I’ve been making it for so many years that I no longer remember. Saint Jamie has a new TV show and a new book called Comfort Food. The first show aired last week – wait till you see his Lobster Mac ‘n’ Cheese…
Selma, my Pete grew up with a mother and relatives who were all from rural backgrounds. Lamb is cooked until it’s sticky and tender and falling off the bone – no pink lamb here ever! :)
My mum cooks it the same way – slowly and for hours – until it’s falling off the bone! I love to make lamb barley broth with the left overs and the bone I think we have discussed that at some point!!
I used to be terribly snobbish about lamb and would only eat it perfectly pink – for a few years now I’ve been slow cooking it similar to this (and I love jamie’s recipe and the fact that he uses the slightly cheaper cut of shoulder which tastes just incredible). Best way to roast lamb – but 10 out of 10 for getting up at 6am post party to do it!!
Tanya, as I was saying to Selma above, Pete comes from a rural family and lamb was never, ever served pink. It was always sticky and falling off the bone. We always buy shoulder now instead of leg – as you say, it tastes incredible!
This looks so delicious!
Love lamb, so will give it a try.
I’m surprised though that you didn’t use your Romertoff.
Have a Joyful Day :~D
Charlie
Hahaha…these shoulders were too big to fit! I did try first…of course.. :)
Sounds wonderful and a happy Father’s day to your household!
Thanks Laila! It was a fabulous day!
Yum! My mouth is watering and it’s only 6am :)
Thank you! :)
Good on you! J cooked himself a roast on Father’s Day. But it was delicious and I totally appreciated it!
What a fabulous man you have there, Clare xx
Celia we must be living parallel lives. We were also at a 50th on Saturday night and I was also up early prepping two shoulders of lamb for a Father’s Day celebration. However, I’ve cooked Jamie’s recipe before and love it with the gravy he recommends with capers, mint and red wine vinegar thrown into the pan juices but this time I cooked a Neil Perry recipe where you marinate the meat then serve it with an aioli. I have to say I prefer Jamie’s recipe as the sharpness of the red wine vinegar in the gravy really cuts through the richness of the lamb. The quality of our lamb was also very good and I loved how there was no carving – it just fell apart. So easy xx
Charlie, this must be a different recipe – I just had a look and he includes a clear mint sauce with this one (we used a bottled version). I can imagine how delish it would be with capers though! We are so lucky to have such great lamb here!
I love lamb!!
We do too!
don’t blame your dad for loving a good roast..and that’s what he got! x
Jane, there has to be an oversupply of food, or he’ll always defer to the boys – he doesn’t want to eat until he’s sure they’ve had enough. So we always have to make sure to overcater, which is tricky with two wolves at the table.. :)
Looks and sounds delicious, not dissimilar to my recent slow roasted lamb from Chef Frank. Glad your dad had such a great father’s day xo
Thanks Lizzy! xx
I love that book Celia, you have reminded me to get it out again. As you know I am lucky enough to have access to almost unlimited lamb, complete with a very competent home butcher husband. The shoulders remain my favourite, always sweet & tender & quicker to cook than large lamb legs. Your roast looks perfect! x
Jane, thank you! I think the meat from the shoulders is always nicer in texture and flavour… x
I love a good lamb shoulder! I made one for friends and it was cooked a few times because I needed to photograph it in the afternoon while there was still light and it was still juicy. I’m glad that your dad was able to enjoy his father’s day with a good meal! :)
Such is the advantage of serving it at lunch time – I managed to get decent photos! :)
Yum :) Slow braised moist lamb is a favourite with us as well… all these good things take time, but worth it and the little bit of effort. Lovely Fathers Day.
Thanks love! It was a very good day indeed…
I LOVE Jamie’s lamb. OMG it’s absolutely to die for good and yours came out beautifully. I did laugh at the too hung over for a mortar and pestle search. I would love to see the ‘inner Celia’ one day. :)
Honestly, it’s not too different from the “outer Celia”. Maybe a bit more paranoid. :)
G’day and wow! Looks great Celia and glad it more than worked out for you for Father’s Day!
Lamb used to be much cheaper here….but what can we all say!
Cheers! Joanne
Jo, the quality seems so much better these days though, so it’s hard to complain. These cuts were absolutely magnificent!
slow cooked lamb in one of my favourites! I add anchovies into the slots with the garlic and rosemary and cook in a bit of wine. I absolutely love it. May have to whip one up this weekend..
Ooh anchovies are a great idea, thank you!
Just look at how moist and tender this lamb is. You nailed it, Celia!!!
Julie
Gourmet Getaways
Thanks Julie! The bones literally just pulled out of the meat cleanly!
You can’t go wrong with Jamie! A delicious and succulent family feast and very fitting on father’s day.
I don’t think I’ve ever had a Jamie recipe fail on me!
In one of Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall’s Everyday episodes he does a roast for Sunday lunch and gets up at 6am — with a hangover — to prep the meat. I am impressed Celia. :)
Rose, I remember that episode! He comes down in his dressing gown, preps the meat and then goes back to bed! :)
That roast looks amazing. Love a good Jamie recipe. Also love your Falcon enamel ware. Looks like a lovely Father’s Day.
Vicki, the Falcon ware baking pans are quite new, but we use them all the time now. Picked them up at Peters of Kensington! :)
Wow! This looks like my kind of comfort food. Theres a recipe for Greek roast lamb on my blog if you want to try something different one day. Emma xx
Thanks Emma, I’ll check it out!
An absolute Winner Celia! Looks stunning :)
Thank you! It went down well with the tribe! :)
What a wonderful Father’s Day meal! I just dug out my Jamie Oliver cookbook recently. I love his recipes, may have to buy another book or two!
I adore his cookbooks – they’re very suited to the way I cook. And the recipes usually adapt well to whatever we have on hand!
Nothing beats a good roast for a celebration meal.
I didn’t grow up eating roasts, but we do eat a lot now and they’re certainly very festive! :)
This sounds and looks fantastic, Celia. When I saw Jaime’s name in the title, I knew the recipe would have a Mediterranean flair. In fact, except for the onion, this is very similar to how Zia and I roasted a goat shoulder during my last visit. Something about how garlic and rosemary combine with lamb/goat to make a delicious meal. And the aroma wafting out of the kitchen is a wonderful thing to behold. :)
John, by 10am the whole house smelled amazing! I’ve never tried roasting goat before, I really must give it a go one day, thank you! They always have “capretta” on sale at the local Italian butcher! :)
Yuuuum. That looks divine. I’ve taken to doing a roast lamb shoulder in the slow cooker and finishing off in the oven, so we get tender, crispy lamb roasts in the middle of a working week. Again. Yuuuum.
Fran, that’s a brilliant idea! I don’t own a slow cooker, but I could see how that would work really well!
Doesn’t this look amazing indeed Celia! Jamie is a champion and cops way too much criticisim as he does much more good than most celebrity chefs out there. We had lamb as well for Fathers Day, but crisp baked Shanks as they’re BigJ’s favourites xox
Becca, I think I’ve only had one JO recipe not work out as he said it would, and that was only because I’m rubbish with caramel! :) Hope BigJ had a glorious day! xxx
You are so blessed to have both your parents to be able to celebrate with such a stunning roast. I’m not sure how you managed to get up at 6:00 am to prep this after a party the night before but if anyone could do it, it would be you Celia!
Ah well Di, you know how it is. When you know you’ve got to get up the next morning, it’s hard to sleep in! :) I did have an early night the next day! :)
Slow roasted lamb shoulder is one of my favourites too – nothing quite says here be home and comfort like the smell of a roast dinner.
Jan, we don’t do lamb very often, so it always feels like a treat when we do! Hope Peter had a lovely Father’s Day as well!
I always say YES to Rosemary and Lamb. And you’ve presented here a killer combo! Thanks for the drool-inducing images and an irresistible recipe :)
Thank you! We loved this too! :)
Love the new baking dishes and the lamb roast looks awesome! I’m HUNGRY now!
The Falcon enamel are just the best – I use them for baking cakes in as well! :)
I will have to look for the they are beautiful too.
Thank you for the name I’m searching for them now.
Oh gee, I read that post over and over… So drooling over my keyboard! I love a good roast lamb! And what a clever way of using the stock+fat :)
Hahaha…thanks Olivia! It was great fun to make, and pretty easy in the end!
I’ve made Jamie’s 7 hour lamb from one of his other books many times. The ultimate stress-free, well-behaved roast…with no carving. Mmmm I can smell it now.
Sally, remarkable how easy it is to just pop a roast in the oven and let it do it’s thing! :)