INGREDIENTS

1,2 - 1,5 kg Lamb shoulder bone in and deboned in recipe as technique illustration OR purchase deboned shoulder

Bones and off cuts from deboned shoulder of lamb

2 teaspoons Salt

1 teaspoon Freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons Olive oil

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon oregano, roughly chopped

1 Lemon, zest

1 tablespoon Gelatin, powdered

2 medium Onions, peeled and sliced thickly

1 cup Stock

Stuffing

1 cup Pearl barley, cooked

¼ cup Vegetable stock, hot

1/3 cup Sundried tomatoes (in oil), chopped

1/3 cup Feta

4 tablespoons Fresh mint, parsley, thyme, finely chopped

Sauce

½ cup White wine

½ cup Muscat / Hanepoot

1 cup Chicken/lamb stock

½ cup - 1 cup Pan juices from roasted lamb

Peppery lentils

2 tablespoons Olive oil

2 medium Onions, thinly sliced

2 cups Green lentils, cooked

1 tablespoon Pink pepper corns, finely crushed

200 g

Baby spinach, washed

½ teaspoon

Salt

METHOD

Prepare the lamb [deboning]:

To debone the lamb shoulder, the blade bone and the leg bone need to be removed. Find the joint between the blade bone and the leg bone. Carefully cut the top layer and underneath to expose the ‘v’ section of the blade bone.

Cut around the edges of the blade bone using the point of your knife, loosening the meat. Find the joint between the blade bone and the leg and cut through it. Turn the shoulder over and scrape the meat away from the bone and then slowly pull off the blade bone.

Remove the leg bone by cutting from the joint to the knob that connects with the blade bone. Open up the meat to expose the bone. Score down either side of the bone, remove all the meat and then repeat on the shank.

Cut the meat away from the bone all the way down, and the leg bone will come away. The shoulder is now boneless, ready for rolling, tying and cooking. [https://www.australianlamb.com.au/cooking/handy-lamb-hacks/how-to-bone- a-lamb-shoulder/].

Prepare the stuffing:

Prepare the stuffing; place the cooked pearl barley in a large bowl and add the hot stock and leave for 5-10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in the chopped sundried tomatoes, feta and chopped herbs and mix well together.

Prepare the lamb:

If the shoulder has been deboned, bring it to room temperature before cooking.

Preheat the oven to 220°C. Combine the salt, pepper, olive oil, garlic, oregano and lemon zest in a medium bowl as the seasoning mixture.

Lay the lamb out flat on a chopping board, meaty side up. If the meat is very uneven flatten it slightly with a meat mallet. Rub the meat with ½ of the seasoning mixture. Sprinkle the gelatin over the meaty side. Place the stuffing in the middle of the deboned the lamb shoulder, be careful to not overfill. Roll up and secure with butcher’s twine.

Spread the remaining ½ of the seasoning mixture over the rolled-up lamb.

Place the lamb bones, off cuts and onions and stock in a roasting pan. Place the lamb roll on a rack in the roasting pan and roast in a very hot oven for 10 to 15 minutes to sear the outside of the lamb. Remove the lamb from the oven. Turn the oven heat down to 160° C.

Loosely tent the lamb with aluminum foil and place back in the oven for 1 hour. After one hour remove the foil. Using a spoon baste the lamb with some of the juices in the pan. Continue to slow roast until the meat gets to your desired tenderness or at least for 2 hours 30 minutes.

Remove the meat from the oven, cover with the foil and set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Carefully pour the meaty juices from the pan and keep aside. Remove the butcher’s twine and slice the lamb roll into 1-2cm thick slices.

Prepare the sauce:

Pour the white wine and hanepoot into the roasting pan in which the lamb was cooked.

Place over medium heat, and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the stock and reduced meaty juices and bring to a simmer. Cook, stirring until liquid has reduced to 1 ½ cups, about 10-12 minutes. Skim the fat of the surface if required

Strain the sauce into a gravy boat and serve hot with the sliced lamb, peppery lentils and spinach. The lamb can also be served at room temperature.

Prepare the lentils:

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onions, cover and cook for 10 mins, stirring regularly. Uncover the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and cook for a further 5 mins or until caramelised. Stir in the lentils and cook over a low heat until heated through. Add the crushed peppercorns and stir to blend.

Add the spinach and cook over a low heat for 2-3 mins until spinach is wilted.

Stir to mix with the lentils. Season with the salt. Serve with the sliced lamb.