Jamie Olivers 4 Hour Slow Roast Lamb Recipes

PERFECT ROAST LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 220°C/425°F/gas 7. Roughly chop the celery, carrots and onions, throwing into a large roasting tray as you go, with the bay leaves.
• With a sharp, pointed knife, follow the lamb bone down about 10cm to 12cm (you are just making a 'tunnel' where you are cutting the meat away from the bone). Do this from the top end and the bottom end. Pierce the skin at an angle with a sharp pointed knife 6 or 8 times at random around the leg, then open up the incisions by poking your fingers down them to make a bit of space. Rub the lamb all over with olive oil, sea salt and black pepper.
• Strip the leaves off the rosemary sprigs and peel and finely slice the garlic, then toss in a little drizzle of olive oil and a splash of red wine vinegar. Push a little rosemary, a couple of slices of garlic and an anchovy fillet (if using) into each hole, adding any leftovers and a good splash of water to the trivet tray with the veg.
• Place the lamb directly on the bars of the middle shelf of the oven, and place the tray on the shelf beneath. Turn the oven down to 180°C/350°F/gas 4 and cook to your liking (see timings below).

INCREDIBLE ROASTED SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH SMASHED VEG & GREENS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to full whack.
• Lay half the rosemary into the bottom of a high-sided roasting tray. Break up the garlic bulb, then scatter in half of the unpeeled cloves.
• Slash the fat side of the lamb all over with a sharp knife, then rub with oil, sea salt and black pepper. Place into the tray, then scatter the remaining rosemary and garlic on top.
• Tightly cover the tray with tin foil and place in the oven. Immediately turn the temperature down to 170°C/325°F/gas 3 and cook for around 4 hours - it's done if you can pull the meat apart easily with two forks.
• Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and chop into large chunks. Peel the carrots and swede, then chop into small chunks. Prep the greens by separating out the leaves and finely slicing any tougher stalks.
• When the lamb is nearly cooked, put your potatoes, carrots and swede into a large pot of boiling salted water and boil hard for 20 minutes, or until tender.
• Drain and allow to steam dry, then smash them up in the pan with a knob of butter. If you prefer a smooth texture, add some cooking water. Spoon into a bowl, cover with tin foil and keep warm over a pan of simmering water until needed.
• Once cooked to perfection, remove the lamb from the oven and place it on a chopping board. Cover with tin foil, then a tea towel, and leave to rest.
• Put a large pan of salted water on to boil for your greens.
• Pour away most of the fat from the roasting tray, discarding any bits of rosemary stalk. Put the tray on the hob over a medium heat and mix in the flour.
• Pour in the stock, stirring and scraping all the sticky goodness from the bottom of the tray. You won't need gallons of gravy, just a couple of flavoursome spoonfuls each. Drain, finely chop and add the capers, then turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes.
• Pick and finely chop the mint and add it to the sauce with the red wine vinegar at the last minute, then pour into a jug.
• Place the greens and stalks into the pan of fast-boiling salted water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, to just soften. Drain and toss with the remaining knob of butter and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• Place everything in the middle of the table, and shred the lamb in front of your guests. Absolutely delish!

JAMIE OLIVER'S 4 HOUR SLOW ROAST LAMB

Steps:

• With a sharp knife, score the skin of the joint every 2.5 cm (1"). Cut about halfway through the fat.
• Using plenty of salt and pepper, season the lamb on both sides, ensuring you get plenty into the slashes you have made.
• Smash the garlic bulb to separate all of the cloves and place half of them, unpeeled, in the base of a suitable sized roasting tray.
• Distribute most of the rosemary stems evenly into the base of the tray.
• Sit the meat, skin-side upwards, into the roasting tray and place the remaining garlic cloves on the top of the skin, together with the remaining rosemary stems.
• Drizzle 3 or 4 tablespoons of olive oil over the skin of the lamb.
• Cover with 2 layers of tin-foil and fold the edges over the edge of the roasting tin to ensure a good seal.
• Check that the oven has reached its highest temperature and place the joint in the oven on the top shelf and immediately turn the oven down to 160° C (325° F - gas 3)
• Leave to roast slowly for 4 hours.
• After 4 hours, remove the lamb, together with the garlic, and put the meat on a preheated plate. Cover loosely with a piece of foil and leave to rest for a while before carving and serving with the sauce.

INCREDIBLE ROASTED SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH SMASHED VEGETABLES AND GREENS

Steps:

• For the lamb:
• Preheat your oven to full whack, (450 to 500 degrees F).
• Slash the fat side of the lamb all over with a sharp knife. Lay half the sprigs of rosemary and half the garlic cloves on the bottom of a high-sided roasting pan, rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place it in the pan on top of the rosemary and garlic, and put the rest of the rosemary and garlic on top of the lamb. Tightly cover the tray with aluminum foil and place in the oven. Turn the oven down immediately to 325 degrees F and cook for 4 hours - it's done if you can pull the meat apart easily with 2 forks.
• For the vegetables:
• When the lamb is nearly cooked, put thepotatoes, carrots and rutabaga into a large pot of boiling salted water and boil hard for 20 minutes or so until you can slide a knife into the rutabaga easily. Drain and allow to steam dry, then smash them up in the pan with most of the butter. If you prefer a smooth texture, add some cooking water. Spoon into a bowl, cover with foil and keep warm over a pan of simmering water.;
• For the sauce:
• Remove the lamb from the oven and place it on a chopping board. Cover it with foil, then a kitchen towel, and leave it to rest. Put a large pan of salted water on to boil for the greens. Pour away most of the fat from the roasting pan, discarding any bits of rosemary. Put the pan on the stovetop over medium heat and mix in the flour. Add the stock, stirring and scraping all the sticky goodness off the bottom of the pan. You won't need gallons of gravy, just a couple of flavorsome spoonfuls for each serving. Add the capers, turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes.
• Finely chop the mint and add it to the sauce with the red wine vinegar at the last minute then pour into a pitcher. Add the greens and stalks to the pan of fast-boiling salted water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes to just soften them. Drain and toss with a knob of butter and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place everything in the middle of the table, and shred the lamb in front of your guests. Absolutely delish!
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INCREDIBLE SLOW-ROASTED LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat the oven or barbecue (indirect heat, with the hood down) to as hot as it can go.
• Meanwhile, slash the fat side of the lamb all over with a sharp knife.
• Lay half the sprigs of rosemary and half the garlic cloves on the bottom of a high-sided roasting tray, rub the lamb all over with olive oil and season with salt and pepper if you wish.
• Place the lamb in the tray on top of the rosemary and garlic and put the rest of the rosemary and garlic on top of the lamb.
• Tightly cover the tray with aluminium foil and place in the barbecue with the hood closed (or in the oven).
• Immediately turn it down to 170 deg C/325 deg F and cook for 4 hours. When it's done you can pull the meat apart with two forks.
• As an option, if you want vegies you can sneak some carrot/potato/pumpkin into the pan for the last hour or so and remove them before making the gravy.
• Remove the lamb from the tray and place on a chopping board. Cover with aluminium foil, then a tea towel and let it rest while you make the gravy.
• Discard any rosemary stalks and garlic skin (leave the garlic 'meat'), put the tray on the stove and mix in the flour (add a little of the stock to make it easier if you wish).
• Add all the stock, stirring and scraping all the sticky good bits off the bottom of the tray, turn the heat down and simmer for a few minutes.
• Add the mint and the red wine vinegar at the last minute, stir and pour into a jug.
• Shred the lamb with forks to serve.

SLOW COOKED LEG OF LAMB

Steps:

• Heat oven to 120C/fan 100C/gas ½. Put your largest lidded casserole on the hob and brown the seasoned leg of lamb on all sides - do this very thoroughly until it is a good dark brown as it will not brown during the cooking. (If you don't do it now, it will end up beige.) If the lamb sticks, add a drizzle of oil - legs of lamb differ. Allow 10 mins on a high heat and put on the cooker fan to remove the smoke. Pour away any fat that has collected in the bottom of the pan.
• Throw in the vegetables, followed by the wine and stock. Season and bring to the boil, then clap on the lid and put in the oven. Bake for 7 hrs, turning twice. After 5 hrs the meat will be cooked and offer no resistance to the knife.
• There is no need to rest the meat when cooked in this way, but to finish the sauce, transfer the meat and vegetables to a serving dish. Strain the sauce into a jug and pour or blot away the fat with kitchen paper. Pour the sauce into a pan then boil the liquid hard to reduce by a quarter, by which time it will be rich and flavoursome. Adjust seasoning, add the Armagnac if you wish, and serve alongside the lamb, which should be served with a spoon, a la cuillère as the French call it.