Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with asparagus & samphire

By: Jose Pizarro
From: Catalonia
Serves: 6
Photographer: Laura Edwards

Like English asparagus, I think the spring lamb we get here is some of the best in the world. It’s also really good value if you buy something like a whole shoulder, during the season.

My friend Gloria from Mas Rabiol almost always uses milk-fed lamb, which comes from the farm next to her – you can’t get fresher than that!

You can grill the shoulder on an open fire; the smoky flavour is a perfect match for the asparagus and the samphire.

Ingredients

Quantity	Ingredient
3 sprigs	marjoram, leaves stripped and finely chopped
small bunch	finely chopped parsley
3	anchovies, finely chopped
3	garlic cloves, crushed
1	lemon, finely grated zested
1 tablespoon	capers, drained and rinsed
splash	sherry vinegar
	sea salt
	freshly ground black pepper
4 tablespoons	olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
1	large lamb shoulder, boned, (about 2 kg)
200ml	fino sherry
2 bunches	asparagus
200g	trimmed and washed samphire

Method

Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Mix together the herbs and anchovies with the garlic, lemon zest, capers and vinegar. Season well and add the olive oil to make a paste. Unroll the lamb and spread the mixture all over the inside. Loosely roll it up and tie with cook’s string. Put the lamb in a roasting tin, drizzle with oil and season all over.
Roast for 20 minutes then lower the oven to 150°C. Pour in the sherry and add a splash of water, then cover with foil and cook for 2 1/2–3 hours until really tender.
Cook the asparagus in boiling water for 1 minute. Add the samphire and cook for 30 seconds. Drain and refresh in cold water.
When the lamb is cooked, set the meat aside to rest. Skim the fat from the cooking juices and toss the asparagus and samphire through the juices. Shred the lamb and serve with the vegetables.

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Slow-cooked lamb shoulder with asparagus & samphire

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