Slow-roast shoulder of lamb with barley and mushrooms

Method

1. For the lamb: poach the garlic in boiling water for about 40 minutes, until really soft, then pass through a mouli if you have one, or remove from skins and mix until smooth with 50g of the butter and season generously. Cool until spooning consistency or stiffer. Smear all over the inside of the lamb, sprinkle with the tarragon leaves, roll and tie.

2. Preheat the oven to 110C/gas ¼.

3. In an ovenproof casserole with a close fitting lid, brown the lamb well on all sides in a tablespoon of oil. Remove from the pan and wipe clean with kitchen paper.

4. Melt the rest of the butter in the same pan and gently cook the onions until golden brown and translucent. Return the lamb to the pan, add the wine and the stock, a good pinch of salt and pepper and the bay leaf.

5. Place the lid on the pan and cook in the centre of the oven for at least 3½ hours. The lamb should be exceptionally tender, if not return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

6. For the barley: in the meantime, cook the barley in at least 5 times its own volume in water with the bay leaf. When tender, but not toothlessly soft (20-25 minutes), drain, rinse quickly with cold water, drain well again, toss with half the oil and set aside.

7. Brown the garlic in the remaining oil. Add the mushrooms and cook over a medium high heat until very well cooked down and slightly coloured in places.

8. When the lamb is done, remove from the pan. Skim off any excess fat, add the cream and reduce over a high heat until the sauce thickens enough to lightly coast the inside of the mouth. Place the lamb back in the lidded casserole to keep warm.

9. Toss the barley in a little butter and a couple of tablespoons of water (or stock if you have it), add the mushrooms and serve with the lamb in a separate dish.

10. The string on the lamb can be a bit awkward, so you can plate it up in chunky slices on plates before bringing it to the table if this makes you nervous. I like to have a bit of crisp dressed salad on the plate with this myself. And some chopped parsley in the barley won’t go amiss.

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Ingredients

1 head Garlic
75g Butter
1 good-sized shoulder of lamb, trimmed and boned
1 handful tarragon leaves
1 tbsp oil
2 Onions, chopped
175ml White wine
250ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
175ml double cream

For the barley

225g pearl barley
1 bay leaf
2 tbsp Olive oil
2 garlic cloves, sliced
350g flat mushrooms, cut into chunks
Knob of Butter

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