The Viking Roasts - Slow Roast Spring Lamb with North African Spices

So, looking out the window it appears that Spring has finally sprung.  Daffodils are in bloom, people are smiling again, and the first signs of hay fever are already beginning to show.  How better to celebrate the arrival of the best time of year, then, than to grab a cute little critter like this:

"Pardon me?"

…and eat it?  There is no better way, this I can promise you.  So this week I am going to do yet another roast, but this time with a North African flavour.  I love a simple roast leg of lamb as much as the next Viking, but if you really want to show people that you really paid attention during River Cottage, then this is the meal for you.

Firstly, let’s talk meat.  Try not to think of the little lamb, happily gambolling through the fields, generally being happy and enjoying life.  And, if you must think of that, at least be content in the fact that this gorgeous little beast gave its life for a higher purpose.  You could make this dish with a leg of lamb if you were so inclined, but I think that the shoulder is by far the best cut, for several reasons.  Firstly, the meat is so very tender, meaning that when it comes to carving you won’t even need a knife, you’ll just be able to pull the meat off of the bone with a couple of forks.  Secondly, the flavour of the meat in the shoulder is so deliciously sweet and fresh that as soon as you bite in to it you could very well convince yourself that you’ve landed up in heaven.  Thirdly, the shoulder of lamb is a much cheaper cut than the leg – and that can’t be a bad thing.

Shouldering the responsibility of a good roast...

So, get yourself down to the butcher, or a local supermarket with a good meat counter.  I can’t emphasise the following enough, though: if you have a local butcher, use them.  Butchery really is a dying art form in this country, and the Supermarkets aren’t going to suffer if you spread your business around a bit more.  Please try and support industries like this, because having a local supplier (be it of meat, vegetables, or anything else) who has expert knowledge built up over years of working with the product is invaluable, and it would be a crying shame if we as a nation were to lose this expertise just because a Supermarket can supply produce at a marginally cheaper rate.  Also, buying your meat from a butcher helps to support the farmer – Supermarkets (some of them anyway) have an atrocious record of following the consumer and not the supplier, and that’s wrong.  It’s offensive to us as consumers (after all, wouldn’t you pay a little more for your meat and know that both animal and farmer have been well looked after) and, moreover, it’s offensive to the animal that you’re about to eat.  But anyway, rant over.  Anyhow, once you’re there, a whole shoulder will feed four people well, and you’ll still have enough left over for a meal in the week.  A half shoulder will feed two hungry people quite comfortably.

You’ll also need, for the spice paste:

- Coriander seeds

- Fennel seeds

- Black Peppercorns

- Rock salt

- Cayenne pepper

- Paprika

- Rosemary, leaves of 2 sprigs, chopped

- 2 cloves of garlic, chopped

- Olive oil

Other things on your grocery list should be:

- Potatoes

- Parsnips

- Broccoli

- Carrots

- Lamb stock

- A glass of red wine

- Bisto

The Usual Suspects

A lot of that you might have in your store cupboard already, and if you do have to go out and get some then at least you will have some left over for more deliciously spiced recipes.

You’ve got all of your STUFF, then, so first you need to make the spice paste.  You can do this on the day, but as this is a long, slow roast you might not want to get up ridiculously early in the morning to make it if you’re aiming for lunch.  I made my paste the evening beforehand.  So, in a hot dry pan, toast a couple of teaspoons worth of coriander, fennel and black peppercorns for about a minute until they are fragrant.

Empty in to a mortar and pestle, and add two teaspoons of paprika, a nice large pinch of cayenne, two teaspoons of rock salt and your chopped rosemary and garlic.  Add two tablespoons of olive oil, mix thoroughly, and you’re ready to go. 

TOP VIKING TIP: You might not have a mortar and pestle.  I don’t, despite repeated requests.  So here’s an easy way to make your own, makeshift spice crusher.  Get some good, strong tin foil and tear off a piece about A4 size.  Fold in half, and then double fold along the edges so you have a little pouch.

Put your spices in there, and then double fold the top so that it’s sealed.  Place on a sturdy chopping board, and find yourself something heavy like a rolling pin.  Apply lots of pressure and roll the pin across the parcel – you’ll be able to hear the seeds and corns breaking and it’s very satisfying.  Then, summoning up all of your stress, rage, fear, hatred of that guy on the tube and Justin Bieber, hit the parcel with the rolling pin.  Hit it again and again and again.  Hit it like Nora Batty hits Compo.  Enjoy the noise and release of tension.  When the parcel is flat, ta da!  You have ground spices!

The foil I used this week wasn't quite as strong as I needed...

Now you have your spice paste, lightly score the skin of the lamb with a sharp knife.  Massage the spice paste in to the lamb, top and bottom, making sure you get a nice even covering.

If you’re doing this the evening before you intend to cook, place on a board and cover with foil, and store in the fridge overnight.  Remove the meat from the fridge 30 minutes before you start cooking on the day to allow the meat to come up to room temperature.  If you've got the time you should definitely try this method – having the meat marinade in the spices overnight really adds to the depth of flavour you’re creating.  If you’re doing this on the day, transfer the meat to a roasting tin and you’re ready to get cooking – don’t worry, you’re still going to get some really good flavours out of this dish!

Preheat your oven to 220c/gas 7.  Once hot, place your lamb in the oven, uncovered, on the middle shelf.  Cook for half an hour and then turn the oven right down to 120c/gas mark ½ - if your oven has a slow cook setting use that.  Add a cup of water to the pan, cover with foil, and then cook for at least five hours – six ideally.  So go out, have a run, walk the dog, sneak off to the pub, whatever you want to do – these six hours are yours.  Just make sure you have:

- Potatoes peeled and quartered ready for roasting (in water)

- Parsnips peeled and halved (in water)

- Broccoli prepped (in water)

- Carrots scrubbed and washed (in water)

After the cooking time is up, remove from the oven and uncover.  Your lamb will be cooked; you’ll be able to tell just by looking at it.  The bone will be protruding from the meat, and if you use a couple of forks the meat will tear apart beautifully.

The temptation to forget veg entirely and whack this straight
in to a crusty loaf with some mint sauce is almost - almost - unbearable

Cover again, and leave on the side.  Turn the oven right up to 220c/gas 7 again and put a roasting tin with a good slug of oil in the oven for your potatoes and parsnips.  Once the oven is to temperature and the oil is good and hot, add the potatoes and parsnips to the roasting tin making sure they all get a good covering of oil.  Season to taste, then roast for 45 minutes, turning half way through.  Carrots and Broccoli need no more than 10-15 minutes at the simmer so they retain their colour and, more importantly, crunch.

You might want to return the lamb to the oven for a few minutes to heat it through again, but it’s not really worth it – if you have covered it with a reasonably tight seal it will hold the heat from its cooking while the potatoes are doing.  If it needs a quick heat up, give it ten minutes in the oven on the bottom shelf, and time it so that the meat can come out ten minutes before your potatoes are ready.  Once you’re happy, place the meat on a chopping board to rest.  Skim the fat off of the juices in the roasting tin, and place on the hob.  Add a pint of lamb stock, a glass of red wine, and some bisto or plain flour for thickening.  Bring to the boil, and then return to the simmer until everything else is ready.

Using the two fork technique, shred the shoulder up to in big chunks, and serve with a big fruity red wine or, as I did, with a lovely cold bottle of Hobgoblin Ale. 

Mouth-wateringly tender meat...

Shown sans gravy, but still a beautiful sight...

Sooner or later, you will have meaty juices running down your chin, you’ll be talking and laughing with your companions and you will know, as you take another sip of beer to wash down that lovely tender meat, that you have made something that is truly wonderful – a brilliant, North African twist on a classic British mealtime.  If you want to forego the British element, drop the gravy and the vegetables and serve with a big old pile of spiced couscous for a more authentic African flavour.

I do hope that this recipe, and the accompanying pictures, has got your saliva glands working overtime.  Why not get out there this weekend and give it a try?  You won’t be disappointed.  Please let me know if I’m writing about roasts too much – they’re something that I really care about and what they represent to me is very important…  the coming together of family and friends around a dinner table to share good food, good wine, and each other’s company.  There’s very little in this life that is more important than that. 

Have a great week, and a brilliant weekend.  I’ll see you next time with more big flavours, impressive food, and minimal faffing.