Mike Davies
Mike Davies of The Camberwell Arms shares a slow-cooked lamb shoulder recipe that is full of bold, comforting flavour and perfectly suited to spring entertaining.
Braised with tomatoes, white wine, anchovies, garlic and herbs until tender, the lamb is finished with a vibrant mint and pine nut sauce that brings freshness, spice and acidity to the dish.
This recipe showcases the generous, produce-led style The Camberwell Arms is known for, while also offering chefs and confident home cooks a standout lamb recipe that works beautifully for seasonal menus, Sunday lunch inspiration or Easter cooking.
lamb
Preheat your oven to 120 degrees.
Season the lamb shoulder heavily with salt, and colour in a cast iron casserole with a lid.
Start the lamb on a low heat with a splash of extra virgin olive oil with the fat side down.
Move the meat around until it’s evenly and well browned. Then remove it and keep to one side.
Add a decent layer of olive oil, the anchovies and the chilli.
When the anchovies have started to melt add the onions and garlic and turn the heat up.
Season the onions well with salt and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes until they have started to soften and colour.
Add the tomatoes, crushing them in your hand as you go and discarding the excess juice (use for a Bloody Mary) then add the wine, and bring to a simmer for 5 mins.
Add the stock and herbs, check the seasoning, remember your seasoning the meat all the way through, it should be punchy at this stage, bring up to a simmer.
Add the lamb, leaving the top slightly exposed, get the lid on and put the lamb in the oven for 3 hours or until tender to a skewer.
For the last half hour turn the oven up to full and take the lid off to crisp the skin.
Mint and pine nut sauce
Add the oil, cumin, garlic and smoked paprika to a pan and cook over a low heat until the spices have become aromatic.
Add the vinegar and sugar, bring to a boil, then remove from the heat.
Toast the pine nuts in an oven or a dry pan, and add to the dressing whilst still warm.
Once the dressing has cooled, add the mint, and season well with salt and black pepper.
The dressing should be fragrant and balanced in terms of acidity and sweetness, you can adjust at this stage with sugar and or vinegar if you need it.
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