Its All About The (Lamb) Gravy

Sometimes it IS all about the gravy. I have cooked this dish so many times for people and they look at me saying the lamb is gorgeous. It is of course as slow cooked lamb generally is, but what I don't mention is the gravy makes this dish. Its made from the juices of the lamb with some additions that take the flavour to another dimension.

I nearly cooked this recipe this time with mashed potatoes - but just couldn't. It works so well with crisp roast potatoes and simply steamed spinach. With a few peas if you like. But I wouldn't change anything about this recipe. Its a family, and friends, favourite!

Ingredients:        (serves 3-4)

1/2 lamb shoulder 
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
6 cloves garlic, peeled.

For the gravy:

3 tbsp. all purpose flour
700ml vegetable stock (cube is fine)
2 tbsp. sherry vinegar
2 heaped tsps. mint sauce (from a jar)
1 scant tsp. English mustard
2 tbsp. capers, rinsed and chopped
a little salt and pepper

Method:

Find a medium roasting tin and set your oven to high (240 C). Trim off any huge sections of fat.. you can leave the bits in the layers, but cut off any large chunks you see. Cut one of the garlic cloves into slivers and cut little holes in the lamb - insert the slivers of garlic. Put 2 sprigs of rosemary in the tin and top with the remaining garlic. Put the lamb on top and the last sprig of rosemary on that and drizzle with a little olive oil. Cover tightly with a large sheet of kitchen foil and put in the oven - now -  immediately turn the heat down to 170 C for 4 hours. (The smell will drive you crazy).

When the time is up take the lamb out of the tin. Put on a warmed plate and cover with foil to rest. Its time to make the gravy.

Look and see how much fat is in the tin. You only want about 1-2 tbsp. so pour off any excess. Remove the rosemary and garlic (it will be very dark) and discard. Place the roasting tin directly on the hob on a medium heat. Add the flour and stir in, scraping some of the browned bits off the bottom of the tin. Now add the stock, just a little at a time, incorporating and scraping the bottom as you go. When all the stock is used up, you can turn up the heat, stirring all the time, to let the gravy thicken. When its a bit thicker, add the vinegar, mint sauce, mustard, capers, salt & pepper. Stir well and let cook for another couple of minutes. Pour into a jug.

Shred the lamb - it will be soft and easy to shred. Serve on a plate in the middle of the table with the gravy, roast potatoes and steamed spinach. Delicious - try it!! Your diners will love you.

Note: When you have 4 or more people to serve, I find getting 2 half shoulders of lamb together in the tin works best. You can buy a whole shoulder but the half is a better cut for this.