What is it about lamb at Easter?

It’s not just an Irish thing. If you delve into the tradition of eating lamb at Easter, you’ll find it deeply rooted in religious symbolism (think around the themes of sacrifice and redemption). What was once a religiously symbolic meal, though, is now considered more of a culinary tradition.

In non-Christian households, lamb is also regularly eaten around this time of year – for Ramadan or Passover, for example, for both religious and non-religious reasons. At the end of the day, the fact remains: lamb is a favoured protein throughout the world.

Global reputation

It is eaten by all cultures and is prized for its tenderness and deep flavour. Irish lamb enjoys a global reputation for its premium quality. When it comes to well-produced, beautifully flavoured roasts for an Easter feast, it’s hard to beat. Like much of our agricultural output, our lamb is unique in both flavour and texture, thanks to the grasses and wild herbs on which it grazes throughout its life.

Today’s Irish consumer usually prefers simple cuts of meat – boneless chicken breasts or beef mince, for example, which require minimal preparation. Compare these to a well-butchered lamb roast and things might seem a bit complicated. The truth is, many cuts of lamb are both easy to prepare and extremely forgiving, even for a completely novice cook.

While there are certainly cuts of lamb you shouldn’t overcook, there are also cuts which benefit from long, slow roasts or braising. If you’re keen to try something different, this is a great way to enjoy lamb without the fear of overcooking an expensive rack or leg roast.

Which cuts to slow cook?

With a little time and patience, a lamb shank becomes meltingly tender. This cut, from the lower leg of the lamb, is well exercised and therefore tougher, so it requires slow cooking. The best way to enjoy lamb shank is by braising.

Season the shanks generously with salt and pepper before searing all over in a hot casserole dish (one with a tight-fitting lid). Then, remove the seared shanks and add in vegetables (carrots, onions, leek), herbs and spices. Deglaze with some wine, add in some chicken or beef stock and place the shanks back in the dish. Once the liquid comes to a boil, cover with the lid and place in a preheated oven. Cook the shanks for around 2.5 hours and the meat will be falling off the bone (if it isn’t, you haven’t cooked them long enough).

This is a less common lamb cut. The neck has beautifully flavoured meat and, with the bone in, is often simmered to make stocks or sauces. If you ask your butcher to remove the bone, it makes a lovely roast.

Ask for it to be rolled and tied with some butcher’s twine. Then, when ready to cook, season the roast generously with salt and pepper. Sear the neck in a hot pan until golden brown on all sides, place on a roasting tray with carrots and onions and roast at a lower temperature (like 160°C) for around 2 hours.

The shoulder is, arguably, the best cut of lamb for slow cooking. It is full of flavour, perfect for shredding (like pulled pork), stewing or roasting. It’s versatile and hefty enough to feed a number of people, making it a great cut for your Easter feast.

If you’ve ever had a pasta dish with a tomato-based lamb ragu, there is a good chance the sauce was made by braising deboned lamb shoulder with carrots, onion, celery, red wine and crushed tomatoes. It makes a delicious pasta sauce and is equally nice served with potato gnocchi. For slow roasting, it’s best to purchase a bone-in lamb shoulder as the bone enriches the lamb’s deep flavour as it roasts.

When purchasing your lamb shoulder, ask your butcher to partially debone the roast, leaving the bone in on the shank end and removing the gigot bone.

The shoulder is, arguably, the best cut of lamb for slow cooking. It is full of flavour, perfect for shredding, stewing or roasting

This way, the bone will still add flavour and structure, but the roast will be easy to portion once cooked. This is a great cut of lamb to work with, which is why we’ve chosen it for our cover recipe. A slow-cooked lamb shoulder is not only delicious; it’s completely fool-proof and an ideal cut to prepare, whether you are a seasoned home chef or you are hosting your first Easter gathering.

Cumin and yoghurt slow-roasted lamb shoulder

Serves 8-10

Ingredients

Method

1 The day before roasting, place the lamb shoulder in a glass or ceramic casserole dish. Mix the yogurt, garlic, cumin, coriander, oregano, sea salt and black pepper and smear this mixture all over the lamb; massaging the marinade into the meat. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for 24 hours (or 4 hours minimum).

2 The next day, bring the lamb to room temperature (about 1 hour before roasting). Preheat the oven to 160°C. Prepare the roasting tray: quarter the lemons and the onion and place in the bottom of the tray. Add the bay leaves. Position a rack on top of the tray and place the marinated lamb on it. Put the tray in the preheated oven, then carefully add the hot chicken stock to the bottom (with the lemon and onion).

3 Loosely cover the lamb with foil and roast for around 2.5 hours, checking each hour and adding more chicken stock or water to the bottom of the tray as needed (you don’t want the liquid on the bottom to evaporate as it is steaming the lamb as it roasts).

4 After 2.5 hours, the meat should be tender. Remove the foil and again add more water or chicken stock to the bottom, if needed. Return the lamb, uncovered, to the oven and increase the temperature to 180°C. Roast the lamb for an additional 40 minutes to an hour. During this time, the lamb will brown and begin to caramelise; developing a deliciously crispy outer layer.

5 While the lamb is cooking, parboil the potatoes in salted boiling water for 15-20 minutes, until just fork tender. Strain and leave covered to steam in the pot.

6 When the lamb is finished cooking, remove it from the oven and wrap in foil. Let it rest for 30-40 minutes before serving. Strain the liquid from the bottom of the tray and discard the used lemons, onion and bay leaves. Add the potatoes to the tray and cover with the reserved cooking liquid. Return to the oven and roast for 30 minutes.

7 Season to taste with salt and pepper and garnish with flat leaf parsley just before serving.

Janine’s tip: Scatter some mint and coriander for extra freshness.

Key tips for cooking a slow roast

1. Room temperature

Relax the meat

Always bring your roasts out of the fridge for at least an hour before you plan to cook them – this relaxes the meat and encourages juices to evenly disperse while cooking.

2. Sear it off

Seal in the juices

If you’re slow roasting, it’s often recommended to season and sear off the meat in a hot pan before placing it in the oven.

Alternatively, some recipes will call for roasting the meat at a higher temperature at the beginning or the end of cooking to ensure a nice, golden-brown colour on the outside. Searing effectively seals in all of those juices before you start to cook.

3. Cook it covered

Show it some steam

Creating some element of steam while slow cooking is a great way to ensure your lamb stays moist and flavourful. You can achieve this through a braising method (cooking directly in liquid and covering the dish with a lid) or by placing cooking liquid in the roasting tin and roasting your lamb on a rack, covered in foil.

4. Braise it

Softens tougher cuts

Whether you’re planning an epic curry or wine-laden shanks, braising is the perfect way to prepare those tougher cuts of lamb. Once the lamb is cooked and tender, you can strain and thicken the cooking liquid for a tasty sauce.