Edie’s treated us again and this time it’s for one of the best roast lunches we’ve ever had. Lamb Shoulder Boulangère is lamb shoulder slow roasted for hours on a bed of thinly sliced potatoes, onions and homemade chicken stock. The slow roasting means the lamb just falls right off the bone, making our carving set pretty much just for show. If you’re not a fan of lamb, you can do exactly the same with a shoulder of pork.

We love boulangère potatoes and the way they just melt in the mouth. Their name is taken from the French tradition, where potatoes and onions were given to the baker (boulanger) at the end of the day to slow cook in the bread oven overnight. On a low-heat, this dish can just be left in the oven until you are ready to serve – perfect for a relaxed Sunday afternoon.

Ingredients

For the lamb shoulder:

  • 2 kg lamb shoulder (bone in)
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 2 tbsp paprika
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp freshly cracked pepper

For the potatoes boulangère:

  • 3 large onions
  • 6 russet potatoes (peeled)
  • 8 sprigs fresh thyme (stalks removed)
  • 750ml homemade chicken stock 
  • Sea salt & freshly cracked pepper

For the mint sauce:

  • 50g mint leaves (finely chopped)
  • 1 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
 
 

Method:

  1. Remove the lamb shoulder from the fridge 3-6 hours before cooking. Use a knife to make small, deep incisions in the meat and push a sliver of garlic into each cut. Then mix the paprika, olive oil and pepper in a bowl and rub all over the lamb. Leave covered until ready to put into the oven 
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas 6
  3. Slice the onions and potatoes into 5mm thick slices. In a small to medium sized roasting pan, start with a layer of potatoes, then onions and then add a sprinkling of thyme, salt and pepper. Repeat twice more and then pour the chicken stock over the potatoes and onions
  4. Place the lamb shoulder onto the potatoes and onions; cover with foil and pop into the oven
  5. Turn the oven down to 130°C/110°C fan/Gas 5 for 3 hours; then remove foil and cook another 1.5 hours. Now prepare the mint sauce by simply combining the ingredients in a bowl and mixing well 
  6. Remove the roast from the roaster and set on a carving board or plate covered in foil for 20 minutes (the meat should now just fall off the bone) 
  7. Carefully pour the juices from the meat into a saucepan to make the gravy. Leave the potatoes and onions in the roasting pan. Turn off the oven and return the potatoes to the oven until ready to serve
  8. The juices can be seasoned with salt and pepper and thickened with cornflour