Roast shoulder of lamb with spring greens

Enjoy the succulent flavours of lamb, with the delicious recipe for shoulder of lamb with spring greens

Method

• Set the oven at 180C/gas mark 4. Place the lamb in a roasting tin and rub the meat all over with olive oil and season lightly with sea salt. Pierce the meat in 16 or so places with the point of a knife, cutting 3cm or 4cm down into the flesh.
• Stuff eight anchovies into half the holes, rosemary tufts in the others. Scatter with the thyme, tucking a few underneath the meat.
• Roast the lamb for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the fat has turned translucent and pale honey-coloured, and the meat is light rose-pink. You can check this by inserting a small knife or metal skewer into the thickest part and hold it to your lip, it should be warm not cold or hot, about 40 odd degrees.
• Remove the roasting tin from the oven, lift out the meat and place somewhere warm, covering lightly with foil.
• Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
• Trim the sprouting broccoli and beetroot and chard stems, removing the leaves and setting them aside.
• Pour any excess oil from the tin, leaving the roasting juices in place.
• Place the tin over a low to moderate heat, then pour in the stock or water and bring to the boil.
• When the liquid starts to bubble, stir with a wooden spoon or spatula to dislodge the roasted meat juices and herbs, then add the peas, sprouting broccoli, and chard and beetroot stems.
• Leave the vegetables to steam in the roasting juices for three or four minutes, turning them from time to time.
• Add the leaves from the chard and beetroot to the pan, turn them once or twice in the hot liquid until they have wilted, then lift the vegetables out and into a warm serving dish.
• Turn the heat up under the roasting tin and reduce the liquid to a thin, deeply flavoured dressing.
• Carve the lamb on to a warm serving dish or directly on to plates, then serve with the vegetables and roasting juices.