Five-Hour Lamb Shoulder with Anchovy, Rosemary and White Wine

⏱ 300 min · Serves 6

A whole shoulder cooked low and slow until it collapses at the nudge of a spoon. Anchovies melt into the fat and turn the pan juices deeply savoury — nobody will guess they're there, they'll just ask why it tastes so good. Rosemary, garlic and white wine do the rest.

Per serving: 682 kcal · 54.0g protein · 8.0g carbs · 47.0g fat

Ingredients

• 1 bone-in lamb shoulder, about 2–2.2kg
• 10 anchovy fillets in oil, drained
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 4 sprigs rosemary, leaves picked from 2
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, thickly sliced
• 2 carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 head of garlic, halved across
• 300ml dry white wine
• 300ml chicken or lamb stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• Sea salt and black pepper

Method

1. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan. Finely chop 6 of the anchovies with 3 garlic cloves and the picked rosemary leaves to a rough paste; mix with 1 tbsp olive oil and plenty of black pepper.
2. Pat the lamb dry. Make 12 or so deep incisions all over the fat side with a small sharp knife and push the anchovy paste into them, rubbing the rest over the surface. Season with a little salt (the anchovies are already salty).
3. Scatter the onions, carrots, halved garlic head, remaining whole garlic cloves, bay and rosemary sprigs in a deep roasting tin. Sit the lamb on top, fat side up. Drizzle with the remaining oil.
4. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes to colour the fat.
5. Drop the oven to 160C/140C fan. Pour the wine and stock around (not over) the lamb, cover tightly with a double layer of foil and return to the oven for 4 hours, basting once or twice, until a spoon slides through the meat and the bone wobbles free.
6. Lift the lamb onto a board, cover loosely and rest 20 minutes.
7. Strain the pan juices into a saucepan, pressing the vegetables to release their flavour. Skim off most of the fat, then simmer hard for 8–10 minutes to concentrate. Whisk in the remaining 4 anchovies until dissolved, add the vinegar, and taste for seasoning.
8. Pull the lamb into big forkfuls with two spoons and serve with the gravy poured over — with buttery mash or roast potatoes and something green.