Roast lamb with couscous

To me, the Sunday roast is a quintessentially British tradition. But despite having lived in the UK for almost 7 years now, this was my first attempt. And why, might you ask, did I decide to do it today? Well, it was a very special occasion. Lamb shoulder was on sale…

But the reason is insignificant. The important thing is that my house was filled with the sweet scent of lamb all day, and I absolutely loved it! I decided to keep it simple, so after doing some research online, I ignored all the recipes I’d seen and put together my own marinade. Lamb has such a strong flavour of its own, it doesn’t even need much seasoning. As I’ve been trying to eat healthy recently, I made a side of couscous and salad, and it matched perfectly.

 

I was a little nervous before I started, but it couldn’t have been easier. All you need is patience! In comparison to the duck I roasted last year, this was far easier (but also smaller). I absolutely love lamb, so I will definitely be repeating this roast in the future! It was sooooo tender… I didn’t even need a knife, I simply pulled it apart with two forks!

Serves 2

• 650g lamb shoulder, bone in
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 10 swift turns of a black pepper grinder
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp garam masala
• 1 small pinch of chili powder
• 6-8 garlic cloves, peeled

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius.

Mix all the marinade ingredients above (bar the garlic cloves) together in a small bowl. Place the lamb into a large roasting tin that can catch the juices and using a sharp knife, score the fat in a criss-cross pattern. Then, cover it in the marinade. Don’t be shy or squeamish, use your hands and really massage it in!

Put the garlic cloves in the tin and place the lamb carefully on top of them, fat side up. This will ensure that the garlic doesn’t get burned but rather gets all creamy, soft and delicious. Cover it all tightly in tin foil and place in the oven.

Roast for 20 minutes and then turn down the heat to 160 degrees for 3 hours. Then, turn down the heat to 120. After another 30 minutes, remove the foil and let it roast for another hour.

To make it easier:

20 minutes at 200 degrees, covered

3 hours at 160 degrees, covered

30 minutes at 120 degrees, covered

1 hour at 120 degrees, uncovered

Total: 4 hours 50 minutes

Serve with couscous and a simple green salad (I added cucumber and carrot), or alternatively you could make some roast potatoes or vegetables. As the meat is very rich, I enjoyed the lighter sides. Don’t forget to drizzle some of the lamb juices on top of your couscous!