As a child, Sunday roast was a well-established tradition on the family’s culinary calendar. Easter was no exception, other than the roast was always lamb, and, being the youngest of four children, I was guaranteed to get the small — but prized — bone at the side of the roast.
My father would stand at the head of the table, carving the meat. Mum first, with only the best cuts for her. My turn next. I remember Dad handing me my plate, carefully placing the bone front and centre, making direct eye contact with me, but very serious.
Though no words were spoken, the message was clear, and I gratefully accepted this gesture of fatherly love and the prized morsel of lamb.
Fast-forward a few years, and still, for me, Easter is an opportunity to unwind and connect with the people who matter most in my life. Inevitably the long lazy days culminate in a gathering around the dining room table, enjoying a delicious meal, and exchanging stories in the comforting embrace of love, friends and family.
Those childhood memories inspire the recipe I have chosen for the main event this Easter, and a meal I shared with my husband and friends while on holiday in Melbourne in 2014. We had scored a coveted booking at a popular restaurant in Flinders Lane, whose shared plate concept was ahead of its time in the day.
The waiter wasted no time in convincing us to order its signature dish, a whole lamb shoulder, marinated in herbs and spices, vacuum sealed then sous vide gently in a water bath for 12 hours, followed by a few more hours in a low, slow oven to create an exquisitely caramelised, crispy skin. By the time the lamb finally hit our table, all our senses were on full alert, and we could hardly wait to dig into the meltingly tender meat, requiring only the gentle prising of a fork to entice it on to our plates. It was sublime.
Back in New Zealand, I couldn’t get this dish out of my mind, so I emailed the restaurant, who was very happy to adapt its sous vide method into something achievable for the home cook, which I will share with you.
If you want to elevate your Easter roast with minimal effort, this dish is for you. Not only will you impress your family and friends, but you will be relaxed when it’s time to serve.
Adding anchovies gives the finished sauce a rich depth of flavour, so even if you don’t like anchovies, I would highly recommend trying them in this dish.
I advise reading the recipe thoroughly and giving yourself a few days before cooking to buy your ingredients and marinate your meat as the key ingredient here is time.
It’s important to marinade the lamb for as long as possible so the meat can absorb the flavours of the herbs and spices. Cooking it low and slow will allow the fat to render and the meat to become tender. That is where the magic happens.
The roast pumpkin and feta cous cous salad is the perfect accompaniment to the lamb (it’s also a stand-out dish on its own served with crispy prosciutto), and the minty, maple, pistachio dressing ties it all together.
Whole slow-roast lamb shoulder
Serves 6
2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
2 Tbsp finely chopped oregano
4 anchovies, finely chopped (or 2 Tbsp flaky salt)
3 Tbsp of olive oil
1 x 2.5kg lamb shoulder on the bone
250ml water
1 punnet of cherry tomatoes
1 punnet of mixed olives (stones taken out)
Salt and pepper to taste
Method
In a bowl, mix together the first five ingredients. Take a heavy, deep roasting dish large enough to comfortably fit the lamb shoulder. Rub the marinade all over the joint, cover and leave to marinate for a minimum of 4 hours, preferably overnight (or even two).
Preheat the oven to 150degC.
Remove the cover from the lamb and add 250ml of water to the roasting tin. Cover the tin tightly with foil, then place in the oven and roast for 2 hours. Turn the oven down to 110degC and cook for a further 6 hours, checking every so often and adding a little more water if the tin is getting dry. At this point, take the tin out of the oven and wrap the lamb tightly in foil and cover with a tea towel to rest. The recipe can be made a day or two in advance up until this step.
Pour the roasting juices into a container that will fit in your fridge (or freezer if you are short on time). This step is about separating the fat from the juices. When the fat is solidified it can easily be scraped off and discarded. You can skip this step and try to skim the fat off at the end of cooking but I always find this method to be more effective.
Turn the oven up to 150degC. Put the lamb back into the roasting dish along with the pan juices, tomatoes and olives and a little more water (if the pan juices are sparse) and roast for 30 minutes.
The lamb is ready when it is fork-tender, basically falling off the bone. Serve the lamb on a platter, with the olives, tomatoes and juices drizzled over and around the lamb.
Couscous, roast pumpkin and feta salad
Serves 6
400g pumpkin (I used crown)
2 Tbsp olive oil
½ cup cous cous
2 sprigs flat leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 sprigs mint leaves, finely chopped
2 Tbsp roasted pistachios, chopped
100g feta or goats cheese
50g rocket leaves
Salt and pepper, to taste
Dressing
1½ Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1½ Tbsp maple syrup
1 ½ Tbsp finely chopped mint
1½ Tbsp finely chopped flat leaf parsley
2 Tbsp pistachios, roasted and chopped
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
Method
Preheat the oven to 200degC.
In a large bowl, toss the pumpkin in 1Tbsp of the olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Place on a lined tray and roast until soft, around 20 minutes and set aside.
In a medium sized bowl, place cous cous, 1 tablespoon of olive oil and a good pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine with a fork. Add ½half a cup and 1 tablespoon of boiling water, stir, cover and leave to sit for 5 minutes or so. Using a fork, fluff the cous cous and stir through the chopped parsley, mint and chopped pistachios (leaving a few for garnish).
For the dressing, mix all of the ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste.
To assemble, place the cous cous in the middle of a platter and spoon over a little of the dressing. Place the pumpkin, goat cheese and rocket on top and sprinkle over the remainder of dressing and garnish with a few chopped pistachios.
