*Slow Roast Shoulder of Lamb*
Serves 6 to 8, depending on appetites

Deliciously tender. Nothing could be easier.  This roast cooks itself.  I like to serve this with a pan of roasted vegetables . . . butternut squash, beetroot, carrots, parsnips, swede, and a big pot of mashed spuds.

1 (2kg) shoulder of lamb, bone in
a bunch of fresh rosemary
a handful of garlic cloves, unpeeled
olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Crack your oven up to the highest temperature it will go.  You will need a large casserole roaster with a lid.

Take your piece of meat and cut slashes in a diagonal pattern across the fat on the top of it with a sharp knife.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle generously with some sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Rub this into the meat with your hands. 

Place half of the rosemary sprigs and the garlic into the bottom of the roasting dish.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Place the lamb on top.  This bed of herbs and garlic will act as a trivet and flavour the meat.  Top your lamb with the remaining rosemary and garlic.

Cover and place into the preheated oven.  Immediately reduce the oven temperature to 170*C/325*F/ gas mark 3.  Cook, undisturbed for 4 hours.  By then it should be deliciously tender.  Remove from the oven and set aside, tented with foil to rest for about half an hour.  Use two forks to tear off pieces of the meat for eating.

You can make a gravy with the juices, but I find it has an odd green tint which we don't like and it is difficult to get rid of all the fat.  So I just use Bisto.  You can squeeze some of the garlic out of the skins to mash and serve with the meat though. It's really quite mellow and delicious.