Slow roasted shoulder of lamb with garlic, rosemary and anchovies

Ingredients (serves 2-3):

1/2 shoulder of lamb

4-5 small/medium sized potatoes

1 carrot

3 celery sticks

5 shallots

a handful of mushrooms

2 rosemary sprigs

1 bay leaf

2 cloves of garlic

2 anchovies

200ml of white wine and 200ml of stock

olive oil

salt and pepper

mixed greens

• Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees
• Peel the potatoes, carrot, celery, shallots and mushrooms and cut into chunks
• Make slits with a sharp knife in the lamb and insert slices of garlic, rosemary and a piece of anchovy into each. Season the lamb with salt and pepper.
• Add some olive oil to a large oven and hob proof dish and place on the hob on quite a high heat.
• Add the lamb and chopped veg to the dish and allow them to brown for around 5 minutes. Turn the veg and lamb over half way through.
• Transfer the dish to the hot oven and allow to roast for 30 minutes.
• Take the dish out of the oven and turn the heat down to 140 degrees. Add the wine, stock and bay leaf and put back in the oven for another 2 hours.
• Check on it occasionally and turn the veg and lamb over every half an hour or so. Add a little more stock and/or wine if it needs it and season to taste when there is about 10 minutes cooking time left.
• Towards the end of the lamb cooking time, cook some mixed greens in salted water and drain.
• When ready, turn the oven off, remove the dish from the oven and transfer the lamb shoulder to a chopping board. Put the dish with the veg and juices in it back into the oven to keep warm.
• Slice the meat off the bone - you should be able to pull chunks away using just a fork.
• To serve, place a pile of the greens in a deep bowl and ladle the lamb and vegetables on top. Finish by ladling some extra juices from the pan on top of the lamb.

Oxtail with horseradish and mustard mash

This was the first time we'd cooked and eaten oxtail. We weren't quite prepared for how messy it was to eat. Don't cook and eat this on a first date!

Ingredients (serves 2):

1 oxtail cut into pieces

1 carrot

2 celery stalks

1 white onion

1 bay leaf

2 rashers of bacon

bunch of fresh herbs (rosemary or thyme would be good)

3/4 bottle red wine

200ml beef stock

olive oil

potatoes for mashing

teaspoon wholegrain mustard
teaspoon horseradish sauce

1. Heat the oven to about 180 degrees. Season the oxtail.
   
2. Heat the oil in a hob and oven proof pan. Add the chopped bacon and oxtail pieces to brown.


3. Once the oxtail has been browned on both sides, add the chopped carrot, celery and onion and continue to cook for another 5 minutes.
   
4. Add the bay leaf, herbs, and wine and simmer for 10 minutes or so. Then add the stock.


5. Cover the pan with a lid if it has one, if not, cover with a piece of foil. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook for about an hour. Take the lid/foil off after an hour and turn the oxtail pieces over. Cook for another 2 hours, checking it from time to time. If it looks like too much of the liquid has evaporated, add a splash of hot water.


6. Meanwhile, make the mashed potato however you like it. We didn't bother with butter or olive oil in ours. Just salt, pepper, mustard and horseradish.
   
7. Serve the oxtail and roasting juices with the mash and some green veg.


8. Napkins recommended!