FOOD Roast shoulder of lamb

Stay local for your organic roast lamb


Food and Wine
Redmond Cabot

This dinner showcases some of our best local produce in Mayo – lovely black-faced lamb from our mountains with hearty Mayo organic veg cooked in a way that respects and values their integrity – not over-cooked them to kingdom come!

Lamb with veg and white sauce
Serves 4

• 1 good shoulder of organic lamb
• Garlic
• Rosemary
• 4 leeks, 1 turnip, 2 onions
• Butter
• Milk
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 tbsps honey
• Kale
• Leave the shoulder of lamb out to reach room temperature. Rub oil in with hands, and season with salt and pepper. Stick a short sharp knife into 15 spots of shoulder and insert sliced garlic gloves and sprigs of rosemary into the incisions. Roast at 180ºc for 50 mins, basting twice.

For the leeks, wash and cut into two-inch strips, place in pan with heavy bottom, sprinkle salt, add four knobs of butter a dash of olive oil. Bring to medium heat and cover for ten mins, stirring twice.
This sort of steam fries them, retaining good juices, yet also giving them a good browning.
In a separate, heavy bottomed pot, add a quarter-inch slice of butter and melt, stirring with a spoon. Sprinkle lightly two tbsps’s of white flour, stirring as you go.
Cook out the butter and flour for another four minutes. When dry and stodgy add a quarter cup of  boiled water (veg stock works well). As the roux sauce forms, add more water, then milk to make the sauce white. Season with salt and lots of freshly ground pepper, and pour over the long strips of leeks.
For the turnips wash, peel and trim them. Cut into half-inch rounds, then grid-cut into three-quarter-inch ‘Lego blocks’. Boil in salted water ’til a fork slips into them (careful not let them get too soft though; not mushy). Strain but keep them damp. Using a wooden spoon, stir in four knobs of butter and some crushed, chopped rosemary.
Chop the two onions into big half moons. Fry in oil, and just before they brown, sprinkle with sea-salt, add two tablespoons honey, lay kale leaves on top, add egg cup water, cover with a lid and cook over a high heat for five minutes and drain.
To serve, position the lamb  a rosemary sprig on top, the leeks lengthways opposite, the leaves flat with mound of turnip sitting on top.