Gary Townsend's slow braised Moroccan spiced lamb shoulder

Lamb is one of my favourite types of meat to work with, the shoulder specifically, said Gary Townsend, head chef at Elements, Glasgow. The shoulder has a strong flavour and holds up well against the robust herbs and spices in this dish. Due to the slow braising the lamb will fall off the bone and melt in the mouth. Using the cooking juices as a sauce poured over buttery mashed sweet potato with some tenderstem broccoli is an interesting alternative to the traditional Sunday roast.
Ingredients:

• 1 x lamb shoulder – bone in or out.
• 100g harissa paste
• 2 tbsp. ras el hanout spice
• 1 tbsp. paprika
• 20g black pepper corns
• 2 x cinnamon sticks
• 3 carrots – peeled, cut lengthways
• 2 onions peeled, quartered
• Sea salt
• Vegetable oil
• Lamb stock

Method (preparation time - 1 day):

• Preheat the oven to 150 celsius / Gas Mark 2
• Place the harissa, ras el hanout, paprika and peppercorns into a bowl. Mix them all to form a paste, (you may require a small amount of water added). Set aside.
• Rub a small amount of oil onto the lamb and season well with the sea salt. In a large roasting pan heat a small amount of oil and sear on each side of the shoulder for around a minute. Let cool slightly then spread the paste mix over the shoulder. If your lamb is boneless spread out the meat to do this.
• Wrap the lamb in cling film and leave to refrigerate for 24 hours.
• Heat a small amount of oil in the roasting tray. Add the onions and carrots, cook these until they have a nicely roasted colour. Remove the lamb from the cling film and place in the roasting tray with vegetables. Heat the lamb stock with the cinnamon sticks and fill the tray a third of the way up. Cover with foil, place in the oven on a low shelf. Cook for five hours – slightly less if boneless. Check every so often to make sure that there is enough stock in the tray, just top up if needed.
• After five hours the meat will fall from the bone. You can make a sauce to accompany the lamb by adding a small amount of flour to the remaining juice and whisking until thick. Pass this off through a sieve.
• Whilst the lamb is cooking it gives you plenty of time to prepare your vegetables to accompany it. I hope you enjoy this as much as I have!