Slow cooked shoulder of mutton - perfect for Easter Sunday lunch

Philippa Davis recommends a delicious alternative to lamb

Skip lamb and serve mutton this Easier for a richer, more complex flavour.

TAGS: Easter

Easter doesn’t have to mean spring lamb. Why not try cooking this mouthwatering alternative recipe ? A slow cooked shoulder of mutton with roasted radishes, boozy potatoes and burnt butter black olive salsa verde?

SLOW COOKED SHOULDER OF MUTTON WITH ROASTED RADISHES, BOOZY POTATOES AND BURNT BUTTER BLACK OLIVE SALSA VERDE

Serves 8

2.6kg mutton (or hogget), shoulder bone in
4 small red onions, peeled and finely chopped
8 sticks celery, finely chopped
8 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
100ml dry white wine
200ml light game stock or water
200g radishes

Burnt butter salsa verde

50g parsley, finely chopped
100g pitted black olives, finely chopped
2 tsp finely chopped capers
8 anchovies, finely chopped
4 tsp lemon juice
2 tsp red wine vinegar
200g unsalted butter

Boozy roast potatoes

1.6kg roasting potatoes, washed and cut into 2cm cubes
2 tbsp finely chopped rosemary
100ml olive oil
200ml dry white wine

Method

Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8.
Mix the red onions, celery, garlic, rosemary, wine and stock together in a roasting tin, place the meat on top and season everything.
Cover with a sheet of baking paper then tightly seal with foil.
Roast for 30 minutes, turn the heat down and cook for a further 3 hours or until the meat is tender.
When the meat is tender take off the parchment and foil, scatter over the radishes and roast for a further 30 minutes.
Rest for half an hour loosely covered before serving.
For the boozy potatoes, in a bowl, toss all the ingredients together. Pour into a roasting tray lined with baking paper and cook in the oven at 180°C/ 350°F/Gas Mark 4 for 1 hour, turning once.
For the burnt butter salsa verde, mix everything together in a bowl, except for the butter.
In a small saucepan, gently melt the butter on a low heat. When you start to see golden flecks appear in the bottom of the pan stir gently for about 15 more seconds then pour it into the bowl with the other ingredients and stir well.

Serving

To serve the slow cooked shoulder of mutton, pile the potatoes, radishes and the veg from the mutton roasting tray onto a serving platter and top with the meat.

Drizzle with the salsa verde and carve in thick slices at the table.