SLOW ROASTED LAMB RECIPES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160C/Fan 140-150C/Gas 3. Separate and peel the garlic cloves, and crush them with the salt in a pestle and mortar. You need enough salt to give the mixture some grit. Mash the garlic into the salt. Add the rosemary and thyme, then mix with enough olive oil to make a thick paste.
• Rub the garlic mixture over the whole surface of the lamb. Place the lamb into a deep-sided roasting tin.
• Add 250ml/9fl oz of water to the roasting tin. Baste the meat with the liquid, then cover the lamb with foil. Roast for 3–3½ hours, until cooked to your liking.
• When cooked, pour off any excess oil from the top of the liquid, leaving the cloudy, herby sediment in place. This is the gravy. Cover the pan with a lid and rest for 15 minutes.
• Cut up the potatoes and cook in boiling, salted water. When soft enough to mash, drain in a colander then mash with the butter and grated Parmesan. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Carve the lamb into thick chunks and serve with the mashed potatoes. Pour over the pan juices and serve.

Steps:

• This recipe works great as a stand-alone dish, but also as a component in Jamie’s Summery Feast from Together – see the full collection of menus here. GET AHEAD For the stuffing, put a high-sided roasting tray (25cm x 30cm) on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Squeeze the sausagemeat out of the skins straight into the pan, breaking it up with the back of a spoon. Let the sausage start to crisp up, stirring occasionally, then tear in the sage leaves. Trim the fennel, peel the onions, then roughly chop both, add to the tray, and cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes, or until soft and caramelized, stirring occasionally. Pour in the wine and let it completely cook away, then season to perfection, tasting and tweaking. Chop the bread into 2cm chunks and stir in, then turn the heat off and leave to cool completely. Lay out the lamb on a clean work surface. Scrunch and spread the cold stuffing all over the meat, then roll it up, sealing the filling inside (if any falls out, just poke it back in at the ends once tied up). Cut yourself eight 60cm lengths of string, slide them underneath the lamb at regular intervals, then tie them up at the top. Wipe out the tray, chuck in the lamb bones, break apart and add the unpeeled garlic bulb, then sit the lamb on top. Cover and refrigerate overnight. ON THE DAY Preheat the oven to full whack (240°C/475°F/gas 9). Get the lamb tray out of the fridge, rub the meat with a little olive oil, place in the oven, and turn the temperature down to 150ºC. Roast for 4 hours, or until tender, basting every hour with the tray juices and adding a splash of water each time. Remove from the oven and transfer the lamb to a serving platter. Cover with tin foil and a clean tea towel, and leave to rest for 1 hour. Use a spoon to skim the fat off the tray of bones (save it in a jar for tasty cooking another day). Put the tray over a medium heat on the hob and stir in the flour, jam and a swig of red wine vinegar, scraping up all the sticky bits from the base of the tray. Cook for a couple of minutes, then pour in 1.2 litres of water. Let it simmer on a low heat to the consistency of your liking, stirring occasionally. Pass the gravy through a sieve into a pan and season to perfection, tasting and tweaking. Simmer on the lowest heat until needed. TO SERVE Uncover the lamb, spooning any resting juices into the gravy. Cut away the string, then spoon over the Green sauce. Take it to the table, ready to carve in front of your guests.