Lemon and garlic lamb shoulder

Journalist and documentary-maker Marc Fennell shares his go-to recipe for entertaining guests, his low and slow-roasted marinated lamb shoulder. Cooked for 5 hours for meltingly tender results, it’s served with a refreshing lemony yoghurt.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  6

• prep

  5 minutes

• cook

  5 hours

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 3 lemons, thickly sliced into rounds
• 2 garlic bulbs, halved crossways
• 3 rosemary stems
• 1 onion, thickly sliced into rounds
• 2.5 kg lamb shoulder, bone in
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp sea salt flakes
• 2 cups (500 ml) beef stock
• Flat-leaf parsley, rosemary or dill, to garnish

For the yoghurt dressing 

• 1 ½ cups Greek-style yoghurt
• 1 tsp lemon zest
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• A pinch of dried oregano

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C (160˚C fan-forced). Place the lemon, garlic, rosemary and onion in a large heavy-based saucepan. Top with lamb, then drizzle with the olive oil and rub in the dried oregano and sea salt flakes. Pour over the beef stock, cover and bake for 5 hours.
2. Just before serving, make the yoghurt dressing. In a medium bowl, combine the Greek-style yoghurt, lemon zest, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, a pinch of dried oregano and a generous pinch of salt and black pepper. Mix well to combine, taste and add a little more salt and pepper to your taste, if you like. Spoon the yoghurt dressing into a small serving bowl.
3. Remove the lamb from the oven, pour off any excess fat, then transfer to a large serving platter. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with the yoghurt dressing on the side.

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.