Pot-roasted lamb shoulder with cherry tomatoes, white wine, garlic and lemon

Name: Pot-roasted lamb shoulder with cherry tomatoes, white wine, garlic and lemon
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6-8
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 2kg lamb shoulder, bone-in; ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil; 2 tsp sea salt flakes; 2 tsp cracked black pepper; 12 garlic cloves, crushed; 4 eschalots (French shallots), peeled and roughly chopped; handful of rosemary sprigs, plus extra to serve; handful of thyme sprigs; 250ml (1 cup) chicken stock (or water); 125ml (½ cup) white wine; 200g cherry tomatoes; 1 lemon, cut into wedges, plus extra to serve; fresh basil to serve

Simple to prepare and mostly hands-off, the magic ingredient in this deeply delicious dish is time.

Sarah Pound

April 17, 2025

This lamb shoulder dish might take a while to cook but it is mostly hands-off.Sarah Pound

easyTime:2 hours +Serves:6-8

You must try this pot-roasted lamb dish. It could not be easier to cook, and the results are unbelievably delicious. This would work equally well with roasted potatoes, couscous or soft polenta.

Ingredients

2kg lamb shoulder, bone-in
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp sea salt flakes
2 tsp cracked black pepper
12 garlic cloves, crushed
4 eschalots (French shallots), peeled and roughly chopped
handful of rosemary sprigs, plus extra to serve
handful of thyme sprigs
250ml (1 cup) chicken stock (or water)
125ml (½ cup) white wine
200g cherry tomatoes
1 lemon, cut into wedges, plus extra to serve
fresh basil to serve

Method

Step 1
Preheat oven to 220C fan-forced (240C conventional).
Step 2
Place the lamb shoulder in a large cast-iron lidded pot and rub the olive oil all over it. Season well with sea salt and cracked black pepper. Place the pot in the oven with the lid off and cook for 45-60 minutes to caramelise and brown.
Step 3
Remove the lamb from the oven and turn the temperature down to 130C fan-forced (150C conventional). Tuck the garlic, eschalots and herbs into the pot, and pour the chicken stock (or water) and wine around the lamb. Place the lid on and cook for 5-6 hours.
Step 4
Remove the pot from the oven, add the cherry tomatoes and lemon wedges and return the pot to the oven, lid on, for 1-2 more hours, until the tomatoes and lemon have softened and the lamb meat pulls apart easily with a fork. Remove the rosemary and thyme sprigs.
Step 5
Serve the lamb on a large serving plate or straight from the pot, scatter with rosemary, lemon wedges and fresh basil leaves.

Notes

If you don’t have a big enough cast-iron pot, cook the lamb in a deep roasting dish. Tightly wrap the dish in foil to stop moisture from escaping.

If you prefer crisper skin on your lamb shoulder, remove the lid (or foil) from the lamb about 45 minutes before the finish time and turn the heat up to 220C fan-forced (240C conventional).