Jamie Oliver Slow-roasted Lamb

Jamie Oliver’s slow-roasted lamb is a boned shoulder rolled around a merguez, fennel, sage and sourdough stuffing. It roasts for 4 hours over its own bones, serves 12, and comes from his book Together (2021).

Jamie explains that rolling the stuffing inside lets it flavour the meat as it cooks, and the meat flavour it back. It also stretches the shoulder further and makes carving easy, which he calls a “one-slice wonder”.

The stuffing must be completely cold before it touches the meat. Spread it over the opened-out shoulder, roll it up tight, then tie it with eight lengths of string so it holds its shape through the long roast.

Jamie Oliver Slow-roasted Lamb

Recipe by Pinch Perfect

5.0 from 1 vote

Course: Dinner, Lunch, MainCuisine: BritishDifficulty: Easy

Servings

12

servings

Prep time

1

hour 

Cooking time

4

hours 

Calories

458

kcal

Total time

5

hours 

The showpiece of Jamie’s summer celebration feast in Together: a boneless stuffed lamb shoulder for twelve, with a deep gravy built from the roasted bones. Prep it the day before.

Ingredients

• For the stuffing:

• olive oil

• 5 higher-welfare merguez sausages (250g total)

• 1 bunch of sage (20g)

• 2 small bulbs of fennel

• 2 red onions

• 250ml white wine

• 250g sourdough bread

• For the lamb and gravy:

• 3kg higher-welfare lamb shoulder, bone in (see note)

• 1 bulb of garlic

• 2 heaped tablespoons plain flour

• 1 tablespoon blackberry or blackcurrant jam

• red wine vinegar

• optional: green sauce, to serve

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Directions

• Start the stuffing: Put a high-sided roasting tray (25cm x 30cm) on a medium-high heat with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Squeeze the sausagemeat out of the skins straight into the tray, breaking it up with the back of a spoon. Let it start to crisp up, stirring occasionally, then tear in the sage leaves.
• Soften the veg: Trim the fennel and peel the onions, then roughly chop both and add to the tray. Cook on a medium heat for 20 minutes, until soft and caramelised, stirring occasionally.
• Finish the stuffing: Pour in the wine and let it cook away completely, then season to perfection. Chop the bread into 2cm chunks and stir in, then turn off the heat and leave to cool completely.
• Stuff and roll: Lay the lamb out on a clean work surface. Scrunch and spread the cold stuffing all over the meat, then roll it up, sealing the filling inside. If any falls out, poke it back in at the ends once tied.
• Tie and set up the tray: Cut eight 60cm lengths of string, slide them under the lamb at regular intervals and tie at the top. Wipe out the tray, add the lamb bones and the unpeeled garlic bulb, broken apart, then sit the lamb on top.
• Roast: Preheat the oven to full whack (240°C/475°F/gas 9). Rub the meat with a little olive oil, put it in the oven and turn the temperature down to 150°C. Roast for 4 hours, until tender, basting every hour with the tray juices and adding a splash of water each time.
• Rest: Transfer the lamb to a serving platter, cover with tin foil and a clean tea towel, and rest for 1 hour.
• Start the gravy: Skim the fat off the tray of bones (save it in a jar for cooking another day). Put the tray on a medium heat on the hob and stir in the flour, jam and a swig of red wine vinegar, scraping up all the sticky bits.
• Finish the gravy: Cook for a couple of minutes, then pour in 1.2 litres of water. Simmer on a low heat to the consistency you like, stirring occasionally. Pass through a sieve into a pan, season to perfection, and keep on the lowest heat until needed.
• Serve: Uncover the lamb and spoon any resting juices into the gravy. Cut away the string, spoon over the green sauce, and take it to the table to carve in front of your guests.

Notes

• (butcher): Ask your butcher to debone the lamb, then slice into it so you can open it out like a book. Get them to break up the bones too, for the gravy.
• (get ahead): Follow the recipe to the end of the tying step, then cover and refrigerate overnight until needed.
• (summery feast): Jamie serves this with rainbow tomato crostini, lemon potatoes, dressed beans, apricot sauce, green sauce and yoghurt panna cotta.

FAQs

What is merguez, and can I swap it?

Merguez is a spicy North African sausage, usually made from lamb and seasoned with chilli and warm spices like cumin. In our kitchen in Mnihla it’s an everyday sausage, so it’s a real pleasure to see it at the heart of a British-style roast.

Its spice and lamb flavour are the whole point of the stuffing, so it’s worth tracking down. Jamie doesn’t suggest a swap. If you can’t find it, our suggestion is another well-spiced sausage, accepting the stuffing will taste less distinctive.

Do I really need the butcher to bone it?

Jamie recommends it, and it saves a lot of fiddly knife work. Ask them to debone the shoulder and slice it open like a book, so it lies flat and even for the stuffing.

Most importantly, ask them to keep the bones and break them up for you. They roast under the lamb with the garlic and become the base of the gravy, so you don’t want to lose them.

Why does the stuffing have to be cold?

Jamie is clear that the stuffing must cool completely before it goes on the meat. Spreading warm stuffing over raw lamb starts warming the meat unevenly, which isn’t safe, especially if you’re holding it overnight.

Cold stuffing is also firmer, so it’s much easier to scrunch, spread and roll without it squeezing out. It’s one more reason the get-ahead route works so well: make the stuffing early and let it chill properly.

Why start the oven at full whack, then turn it down?

The initial blast of heat helps the outside start to colour. Then Jamie drops it to 150°C for 4 hours, which is what makes the shoulder tender, as its fat and connective tissue slowly melt.

The hourly basting and splash of water keep the meat moist and stop the tray juices burning, which protects your gravy. That full hour of resting under foil and a tea towel lets the meat relax, so it slices cleanly.

How does the gravy work?

Everything comes from the tray: the roasted bones, the garlic and the sticky juices. After skimming off the fat, the flour thickens it, the berry jam adds a fruity sweetness, and the red wine vinegar sharpens it.

It’s the same bones-first idea behind Jamie’s roast venison with Barolo and chocolate sauce, another showpiece for a crowd. Here, though, it’s ready in the hour the lamb rests rather than three.

What should I serve it with?

This was the centrepiece of the first episode of his Channel 4 series, Together, with green sauce spooned over and lemon potatoes, dressed beans and apricot sauce alongside. A fresh, crunchy side like Nigella’s jewelled salad also cuts through the richness.

If you love lamb but want something quicker for a weeknight, Jamie’s lamb meatballs take just 25 minutes. There are more ideas on the Jamie Oliver recipes page.