Lamb Shoulder stuffed with Anchovy's, Rosemary and Garlic

Another great night on Friday; it's been a real pleasure so far opening my living room to such wonderful people, long may it continue!! They enjoyed themselves so much 2 of the 3 tables have already re-booked.

After a request on Friday, I'm going to talk you through how to prepare and cook the Lamb that was served as the main course. You can ask your butcher to remove the bone from your Lamb shoulder (its worth asking for the bone because you can use this to make stock or you can add it to a casserole for more flavour). You'll need to ask your butcher for some butchers string as well, but don't be worried about rolling the meat, it really isn't that tricky. Lamb shoulder is naturally fatty and as a result this recipe pairs it with Anchovy's (and I served it with a Caper Jus) to help cut through the fattiness. The fat helps keep the meat moist, so don't be tempted to remove it (if you don't want to eat it, you can just leave it on your plate).

Step 1

Find a good butcher!! A good butcher should be able to tell you where your meat has come from, what breed of animal it was and also give you tips on how best to cook your selected piece of meat. Once you've found a reliable meat man, ask him (or her) for a boned Lamb shoulder of around 1.5-2kg.

Step 2

To make the stuffing (it’s almost a little more like a marinade) finely chop 2 garlic cloves, 5-6 Anchovy fillets, and a handful of both Rosemary and Parsley. Mix in a bowl along with a little of the oil from the Anchovy's and a few tbsp of Olive oil. Season with Black Pepper.

Step 3

Lie the Lamb shoulder skin side down on a chopping board. If there are any large clumps of meat just run a knife half the depth of the meat and open out using your hands. What you're looking for is a consistent depth. Using your hands, rub the marinade over the meat (inside of the joint).

Step 4

Cut about 5-6 lengths of butchers string (approx 1 1/2 foot). Roll up the meat as tight as possible so you're left with a cylinder shape. Place the cylinder skin side up on the chopping board. Starting at one end, gently loop the string under the meat and pull tightly. Knot the string twice so that it holds the meat securely. Continue to do this along the length of the meat approx. 1 1/2 inches apart. Cover with Clingfilm and place in the fridge until you are ready to cook it (I did all this the day before I needed it).

Step 5

Remove the meat from the fridge approx. 20 minutes before you plan to cook it (this brings the meat back up to room temperature, so you're not having to cook the chill out of the meat before the cooking starts. This is especially important when you plan to cook something quickly, for example a rare steak or a duck breast). Weigh the meat and turn the oven on to 220oC, Gas Mark 7. When the oven is up to temperature place the meat in a roasting tin, drizzle with Olive oil and generously season with Salt and Pepper. Place near the top of the oven. After 30 minutes, turn the temperature down to 160oC, Gas Mark 3. Pour over a glass of white wine and a glass of water and continue cooking the meat 10 minutes (per 500grams) for Rare, 15 minutes (per 500 grams) for Medium, and 20 minutes (per 500 grams) for Well Done.

Step 6

Remove from the tray, cover with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving. The juice left in the tray can be drained of fat and used to fashion a gravy.