- Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large roasting tin. Season the lamb shoulder with salt and pepper and fry it in the oil over a high heat, until nicely seared all over.
- Drain the fat from the tin, pour in the chicken stock and rosé wine, then add the cloves, bay leaves, juniper berries and tomato purée. Cover with foil, bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 1½ hours. Skim the fat from the surface from time to time and reserve. Remove the shoulder from the stock and keep on the side.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C / 170°C fan / Gas 5.
- Bring the stock back to the boil and bubble to reduce it by half.
- Place the shoulder back in the reduced stock. Add the potato, carrot and the garlic bulb, then transfer to the oven and cook for about 1 hour, occasionally basting the top of the meat with the juices in the pan until the lamb is tender and cooked through.
- Remove the tin from the oven and pour the stock into a saucepan, leaving the lamb and vegetables in the tin. Add the garlic cloves to the stock by squeezing the skins of the roasted bulb and reducing the stock until it has thickened – it should be like a light gravy – and very aromatic. Increase the oven temperature to 230°C / 210°C fan / Gas 8.
- While the stock is reducing, use your hands to mix all the crust ingredients until well combined. Spread over the lamb shoulder and place it back in the oven with the vegetables for 10 minutes, then place under a hot grill for a few minutes to brown the crust.
- To serve, slice the meat. Spoon the vegetables onto warm serving plates, top with the lamb slices and pour the gravy around the plate.
Francesco Mazzei’s fornarina style Welsh Lamb shoulder
- Prep time 20 mins
- Cook time 3 hrs
- Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2kg PGI Welsh Lamb shoulder (on the bone)
- 100ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2L chicken stock
- 750ml rosé wine
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 juniper berries
- ½ tsp tomato purée
- 900g Cyprus potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- 600g carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
- 1 garlic bulb, top sliced off
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the crust
- 100g fresh breadcrumbs
- 25g parsley
- 15g mint
- 6 sprigs of marjoram
- 50g Pecorino Romano PDO cheese, freshly grated
- 50ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine