Slow-cooked shoulder of lamb

I first made boulangère potatoes when I was 17 years old and working as a commis chef in Dublin. I worked with a few crazy English and French chefs and they loved boulangère potatoes.

They are a lovely accompaniment to roast lamb and whether it’s the leg or shoulder you’re on to a winner. For me, the shoulder wins hands down though. It’s cheaper and although it takes longer to cook, it’s that low and slow method that’s going to deliver the maximum amount of flavour.

1 lamb shoulder boned rolled and tied (your butcher will do this for you)

2 sprigs of rosemary

¼ cup of chopped thyme

5/6 litres chicken stock (6 litres of boiling water with 2 Erin chicken stock cubes dissolved in it if you don’t have access to fresh chicken stock)

½ bottle of red wine, merlot or shiraz would be ideal

1 parsnip

1 carrot

1 large onion

Salt and pepper to taste

For boulangère

6/7 potatoes sliced

1 large onion sliced

1 sprig rosemary chopped finely

4 sprigs of thyme chopped finely

Approximately 1 litre of chicken stock (reserved from the lamb ingredients)

2 knobs of butter

Candied swede

1/2 turnip diced or cut into 3” rounds with a pastry cutter

4 tsp honey

3/4 small slices of butter

Bordelaise

Approximately 12 pearl onions peeled or 1 large white onion chopped finely

1 cup of red wine

Strained cooking liquor from the lamb

½ cup chopped flat parsley

  • Heat two heavy-based frying pans. Season the lamb, carrot, onion and parsnip all over.
  • Sear the lamb all over to seal in the juices and lightly colour the vegetables. Sprinkle on the herbs. Place the vegetables into a deep roasting tray and top with the lamb.
  • Deglaze the two pans with the red wine and pour over the lamb. Now add the chicken stock, reserving 1½ litres for the boulangère. Cover and cook on a low heat for approximately four to five hours at 120°C or until the meat is very soft to touch and is breaking away easily when touched with a fork.
  • For boulangère

  • Grease a casserole dish with the butter. Line with a layer of potatoes. Top with onion then some thyme and rosemary. Repeat, finishing with a layer of potatoes and a few herbs.
  • Add stock until you’ve almost reached the top of the potatoes. Cover with tinfoil and place in the oven at 160°C for approximately 45 minutes. Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes and raise the temp to 180°C to lightly brown and crust the top.
  • For swede

  • Place your cut-up swede on a baking sheet or casserole dish. Drizzle with honey and season with a little salt. Top with butter. Bake at 160°C for 45 minutes, turning half way through. Serve.
  • For bordelaise

  • Sauté the pearl onions. Add the red wine and reduce. Add two cups of the cooking liquor from the lamb and reduce until it’s at the desired consistency. Finish with chopped parsley.
  • Penne pasta with a ragout of lamb, chickpea, tomato and courgette

    The remaining lamb from your roast chopped up

    8oz panne pasta cooked, strained and kept warm

    ½ tin chickpeas

    ½ courgette diced

    1 onion

    Remaining herbs from the roast

    1 tin chopped tomatoes

    Salt and pepper

  • Sweat the onion without colour and add the chopped tomatoes, followed by the herbs, and cook slowly for 30 minutes. Set aside.
  • Now sweat the chickpeas and courgette without colour, add the lamb and season. Then add the tomato sauce. Mix slowly and add a little of the remaining cooking liquor from the roast, if needed.
  • Spoon the pasta into serving bowls and top with the ragout. Alternatively, you can add the pasta to the pan and toss all the ingredients together before serving.
  • Raspberry marshmallows

    Everyone deserves a little treat now and again and marshmallows are always a favourite. They are perfect with some chocolate sauce or toasted over an open flame to make them gooey. Stick them between two wafers and you’ve got that eye-closing sweet treat that we all crave at some point.

    For mine, I’ve added some fresh raspberries from the Viewmount House Gardens. Alternatively, add whatever fresh berries you come across. Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries etc are equally as good.

    250g granulated sugar

    100ml water

    60g glucose

    3 egg whites

    7 sheets gelatin

    1 tsp vanilla extract

  • Add sugar, glucose and water to a heavy-based pot and boil until it reaches 127 °C.
  • Soak the gelatin in cold water. Beat the egg whites until stiff. When the mixture is up to temperature, carefully add in the gelatin. Bubble up.
  • Pour into a jug. Add the vanilla to the egg and then pour the hot syrup in. Continue whisking until the mixture is thick and is able to hold on the end of the whisk.
  • Lightly oil a shallow tray (30 x 20cm). Dust it with sieved cornflour and icing sugar. Pour in half the mixture and even it out with a hot, wet palette knife. Add the raspberries, then pour in the remaining half. Smooth over again.
  • Dust the top with cornflour and icing sugar and leave to set for at least an hour. Cut into cubes and serve.
  • Top Tip

    Use mashed potato instead of the boulangère. Finely cut up the vetetables from the roasting tray and chop up the remaining lamb from the roast and cook slowly in the remaining cooking liquor for approximately one hour on a very low heat. Place in a casserole dish, top with remaining mash and bake for 20 mins at 150°C for a rich and tasty shepherd’s pie with a difference.