Recipe & pairing | Sarah Pound's (Wholesome by Sarah) Greek slow-cooked lamb shoulder

“Wholesome by Sarah” creator Sarah Pound’s debut collection is extremely up our alley - simple, hearty and family-friendly dinners that use familiar everyday ingredients. There are no tricky techniques here, just solid home cooking that is fresh, fast and full of flavour. What’s not to love about that? This slow cooked lamb shoulder screams succulence, and makes for a weekend winner when paired with a delicious wine too. Here’s our suggestions, along with the recipe.

Pairing tip: "Lamb’s not the most meaty-meat (you know what I’m saying), but we’re looking at a denser cut that’s been cooked low and slow to release all of that flavour. So a wine with a lick of tannin (plus a generous line of acid to refresh) feels like the order of the day here. I’d be reaching for super dry Provence-style rosé, though if you’re wanting something that’s bringing a bit more tannin then sangiovese & nebbiolo (or xinomavro, if you can get hold of neb’s Greek cousin) would be my standouts." - Nick 

Try this with:

Rosé 2023 – Black Market Deal #48285

Light dry rosé from an industry icon as close to Provence as Aussie rosé gets. It's dry and punchy and packed full of energy and zeal on the palate. The red berries are almost pulpy in their fullness, and there is a très Française creaminess throughout. This is an out-and-out all-weather stunner.

Massimo Rattalino Ventisei Langhe DOC Nebbiolo 2021

Floral and finessed nebbiolo from the heartland. Aromatically it is quite light and jubey - a little confected raspberry and red liquorice give way to fruit leather and candied red apple. On the palate the wine seems to morph into a true northern Italian; more robust and brash but with slatey minerality and a graphite frame. Still it is youthful and bountiful with fruit, but make no mistake, this is stuffed full of complexity and intrigue. 

Greek slow-cooked lamb shoulder

PREP TIME 15 minutes

COOK TIME 8 hours

SERVES 6–8

What you’ll need

• 2 kg lamb shoulder, bone in

• 1 tablespoon salt flakes

• 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 4 golden shallots, roughly chopped

• 500 ml (2 cups) chicken or vegetable stock

• flat-leaf parsley or mint leaves, to serve

Greek marinade

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

• 10 crushed garlic cloves

• 3 tablespoons dried oregano

• 3 heaped tablespoons chopped rosemary leaves

• Some salt and pepper. 

Method

Let’s go! Preheat the oven to 220°C (fan-forced).

Place the lamb in a large, deep casserole dish. Season well with salt and pepper and drizzle on the olive oil. Roast the lamb in the oven for 35 minutes until the skin is caramelised and lovely and brown.

On to the marinade. Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, then set aside.

Remove the lamb from the oven. Reduce the temperature to 140°C (fan-forced).

Time for some flavour. Add the golden shallots to the dish and pour the stock around the lamb to cover the base. Spoon the marinade over the lamb, be very generous with this. Reserve a little to baste the lamb while cooking.

Cover the dish with a tight-fitting lid. Slow-cook in the oven for 6–7 hours, basting with the marinade every couple of hours, until the lamb pulls away easily from the bone.

Transfer the lamb to a large serving plate. Drizzle on some of the pan juices and top with the parsley or mint. Serve with lemon potato wedges with feta and oregano and a cucumber salad.

TIPS: If you don’t have a large enough casserole dish, you can cook the lamb in a deep roasting tin. Make sure when covering the tin with foil that it is very tightly wrapped to stop air and moisture escaping. Depending on your oven, the lamb may require slightly longer. It is perfect when a fork pulls the meat away easily from the bone.

Images and recipes extracted from "Wholesome By Sarah: Fast Weeknight Dinner Ideas For The Whole Family" by Sarah Pound, available now.