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Dominic Chapman's chilli-marinated lamb shoulder with mint jelly
Serves 4 (Start 1 day before serving) Starters and mains
Ingredients
- ½ bone-in lamb shoulder
- dash olive oil
For the marinade
- 2 red chillies, stalks removed
- 5 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 3 rosemary sprigs, needles picked
- 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 3 sage sprigs, leaves picked
- juice and zest ¼ lemon
- 1 bay leaf
- 90ml olive oil
For the mint jelly
- juice 1 lemon
- 100g jam sugar
- 60g fresh mint, leaves picked and finely chopped
To serve
- 1 red chilli, deseeded and sliced into thin strips
Method
Marinate the lamb the day before you plan to cook it. Blitz all the marinade ingredients in a blender to a smooth paste. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper then rub all over the lamb. Chill for 24 hours. The next day, preheat an oven to 180C/160C F/Gas 4.
Heat a large frying pan or flameproof roasting dish over a high heat. Once hot, add a dash of oil and sear the lamb until browned all over.
Transfer the lamb to the oven and roast uncovered for 30 minutes, then cover with foil and turn the oven down to 140C/120C F/Gas 1. Allow to cook slowly for a further 2-3 hours, or until the meat is tender and falling apart with a fork. Check the pan every so often and add a little water if the lamb seems to be drying out and catching on the bottom.
While the lamb cooks, make the mint jelly. Put 50ml water, the lemon juice, jam sugar and half the mint in a pan, gently bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes.
Strain the liquid into a clean pan, discarding the browned mint. Leave to cool, then stir in the remaining chopped mint. You should be left with a loose, jelly-like consistency. Chill until ready to serve.
Once the lamb is tender and cooked through, remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes, covered with the foil. As the lamb rests, cook any vegetables or sides dishes of your choosing.
To serve, garnish the lambwith the sliced red chilli (be sure to reserve and drizzle over any resting juices, too). Enjoy with the mint jelly on the side and any other accompaniments.
This recipe featured in the March/April 2021 issue of Food and Travel. To subscribe, click here.
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