Slow-braised shoulder of lamb with onions, thyme and balsamic
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This hearty slow cooked lamb shoulder recipe, with its creamy mashed potato pairing, makes a wonderful and rustic lamb dinner. Slowly braising the lamb shoulder in a rich sauce, as Tom Aikens does here, ensures that the meat's full, immense flavour is drawn out. You can either slice or shred the meat from the bone to serve.
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Ingredients
Metric
Imperial
Braised shoulder of lamb
- 1 shoulder of lamb, rested for an hour at room temperature before cooking
- 8 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 8 medium onions, whole and peeled
- 250ml of balsamic vinegar
- 2 bulbs of garlic, peeled
- olive oil
- sea salt
- black pepper
Mashed potato
- 1000g of large white potatoes, peeled
- 2l water
- 350g of butter
- 400ml of milk, warmed
- 10g of salt
- black pepper, freshly milled
Equipment
- Mouli
- Large casserole pot
Method
1
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/gas mark 4
2
Rub the shoulder of lamb with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place a little more olive oil into the bottom of a large casserole pot with the onions, garlic and thyme, sit the lamb on top. Place into the oven for 15-20 minutes or until the lamb and onions have coloured
- 1 shoulder of lamb
- sea salt
- black pepper
- 8 medium onions
- olive oil
- 2 bulbs of garlic, peeled
3
Remove the pot from the oven. Turn the oven down to 110ºC. Cover with a suitable lid and cook for approximately 5 hours
4
After 5 hours, remove the garlic and onions from the pot and reserve. Add the balsamic vinegar, and continue to cook for a further 1-1/2 hours, without the lid on. Baste the shoulder in the vinegar liquid every 20 minutes
- 250ml of balsamic vinegar
5
Between bastings, prepare the mashed potato. Cut the potatoes into 2 inch pieces and rinse in cold water. Place the potatoes into a pan with the water and salt. Place over the heat and bring to a slow simmer. Simmer for 25-35 minutes, until they are just tender and drain
- 1000g of large white potatoes
- 2l water
- 10g of salt
6
Place the potatoes into a mouli with the butter and grind into a bowl (you could also use a potato masher for this process)
- 350g of butter
7
Place the mixture back into the pan, add salt to taste, pepper and warm milk, stir until smooth. Set aside to keep warm while you finish the lamb
- 4g of salt
- black pepper
- 400ml of milk
8
Transfer the lamb from the oven to the stove top and place over a low heat to reduce any excess liquid. Baste the lamb in the liquid as you reduce
9
Add the onions and garlic back with the lamb for 10 minutes to reheat
10
To serve, cut the braised lamb into 4 portions. Serve with the onions, garlic and mash
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Slow-braised shoulder of lamb with onions, thyme and balsamic
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© Great British Chefs 2019