This Welsh Lamb dish is meltingly tender and easy to achieve, with a fragrant, flavourful citrus and redcurrant glaze that works perfectly with the sweet, fatty lamb. Put this in in the oven on Christmas morning and get on with your day.
Serves 4-6 with leftovers.
- Bring the lamb out of the fridge an hour or two before you plan to cook it and stab a few holes in it all over the fat and underside. If you have time, rub it with some salt the night before, if not, do it the hour before. Heat the oven to 190 fan. Cut the head of garlic in half and rub it all over the lamb shoulder, then break it up and put the cloves in the roasting tin along with the onion, celery, carrots and thyme. Place the lamb on top.
- Cut the oranges in half and squeeze the juice all over the lamb, adding half of the spent halves into the tray. Pour the stock around the lamb, dotting the star anise and cinnamon into the liquid. Cover with tented foil and roast for 30 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to 140 fan and cook for a further 3 hours. After this time, remove from the oven and pour half of the orangey meat juices into a saucepan over a medium heat (reserving the rest as stock to cook boulangerie potatoes or anything else). Spoon in the redcurrant jelly and cayenne pepper and let it melt in, whisking and reducing for 25-30 minutes until you have a smooth,sticky glaze. Turn the oven up to 180 fan, uncover lamb and cook it for a little longer while syrup reduces.
- Once the glaze is sticky, pour it all over the lamb and cook for a further 10-15 minutes uncovered, until the lamb is melting and falling off the bone and the glaze is reduced and bubbling and just starting to char. The lamb should be so tender it pulls apart with a fork. Serve it with the onions and carrots from the tin, discarding the celery. Garnish with fresh mint.
- Serve with boulangerie potatoes and red cabbage or radicchio salad.