Ingredients
1 lamb shoulder (about 2 kg), bone-in
2 carrots, quartered
4 celery stalks, halved crossways
A big bunch of rosemary (stalks and all), plus extra to serve
6 small garlic cloves, peeled
1 heaped tablespoon honey
2 tablespoon olive oil
Sea salt
Spice Rub
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
Preparation
Preheat the oven Heat your oven to 160°C. (If your oven is a bit old and sluggish, bump it to 170°C to give it some extra power.)
Make the spice rub Mix all your spice rub ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
Prep the lamb Place the lamb in a colander to drain, then pat it dry with paper towel. In a roasting tin, lay down a bed of carrot and celery, sprinkle with rosemary sprigs, and set the lamb on top. (Tip: rest the tin on a tea towel so it doesn’t slide around while you’re working.)
Flavour it up Use a sharp knife to make 6 small incisions (about 1–2 cm deep) evenly across the lamb. Into each cut, tuck a garlic clove and a little rosemary. Drizzle the lamb with honey and olive oil, then use your hands to rub it all over yes, it’s a bit sticky, but worth it! Wash your hands, then sprinkle the spice rub generously over the lamb.
Cover and cook low & slow Pour 2 tablespoons of water into the base of the tin. Cover tightly with foil and don’t be shy, triple-wrap it (foil on, seal the edges, repeat twice more). Roast for 4 hours.
Check for tenderness After 4 hours, peel back a corner of the foil and check: has the meat pulled back from the bone? Test with a fork it should fall apart easily.
Rest and finish Re-cover with foil and let the lamb rest for 20 minutes. When ready to serve, crank the oven up to 220°C. Uncover the lamb, sprinkle with a little salt, and return it to the oven for 10–15 minutes until beautifully browned.
Serve Bring it to the table with a side of pickled red onion. Dig in — melt-in-the-mouth, sticky, spiced lamb perfection.
