Spring into Easter with Tesco Northern Ireland

In the Northern Ireland Year of Food and Drink, it would be remiss of us not to celebrate Easter in the most Northern Irish way that we can – by using the best local products of course!

Tesco Northern Ireland has supplied us with a tasty recipe for traditional Easter fayre, and local favourite, – a shoulder of juicy shoulder of NI lamb.

Slow roasted shoulder of lamb – serves 4

Ingredients:

2kg (4lb) Tesco Northern Irish lamb shoulder, on the bone

5 sprigs rosemary

1 garlic bulb, unpeeled

2 tbsp Tesco olive oil

2 Tesco onions, quartered

2 Tesco NI  carrots, quartered lengthways

2 Tesco celery stalks, halved

300ml (1/2 pint) lamb or chicken stock

300ml (1/2 pint) red wine

750g Wilson’s Country Navan potatoes

25ml (1fl oz) vegetable oil

This simple recipe really brings out the gorgeous flavours and texture of lamb shoulder. Cooked with plenty of garlic and rosemary this is best served with seasonal vegetables and local potatoes.

Place the lamb shoulder in a large roasting tray. Using a sharp knife, make 6-8 small deep incisions over the surface. Roughly chop the rosemary and combine with the crushed garlic and the olive oil. Rub the mixture over the joint, then cover and chill for at least 4 hours.

Remove the lamb from the fridge at least 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat oven to gas 7, 220°C, fan 200°C. Poke the remaining garlic cloves into the incisions. Season the shoulder with salt and pepper.

Place the onions, carrots and celery around the base of the shoulder and push a few pieces under the meat. Pour the red wine and stock over the lamb and cook for 30 minutes to brown the meat slightly.

Take a large piece of crumpled damp greaseproof paper and lie it over the top of the lamb. Then cover with foil and seal tightly. Reduce heat to gas 2, 150°C, fan 130°C and put the tray in the oven on the lowest shelf for 6 hours.

When the meat is cooked and falling off the bone, remove the foil and greaseproof paper and grill the joint on medium for 15 minutes to crisp the skin. Re-cover with greaseproof paper and leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, strain the liquid into a saucepan and boil until reduced by half. Spoon off a couple of tablespoons of fat from the top of the sauce and place in a clean saucepan. Add 2 tablespoons of flour and mix well. Cook for a few minutes, then remove from the heat.

Gradually add 500ml of the red wine liquid, whisking to keep the mixture smooth. Return to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly until thickened. Season to taste. Shred the lamb and serve with the gravy, roast potatoes and seasonal vegetables.