Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped rosemary
¼ cup finely chopped oregano
3 tsp fennel seeds
5 cloves garlic, crushed
2.4kg bone-in lamb shoulder
Sea-salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper, to season
2 red onions, cut into thick wedges
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water
1 cup chicken stock
Mint leaves and mixed salad leaves, to serve
Pickled beetroot
1 large beetroot bulb (approx. 350g), peeled, coarsely shredded
1 cup red wine vinegar
⅓ cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tsp fennel seeds
1 tsp sea-salt flakes
½ tsp chilli flakes
Feta cream (makes 1½ cups)
200g smooth feta, broken into pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ cup Greek-style yoghurt
Method
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To make pickled beetroot, place beetroot in a heatproof bowl. In a small saucepan on medium heat, bring vinegar, brown sugar, fennel seeds, salt and chilli to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until reduced by half. Pour over beetroot. Cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for 2 days. Drain pickling juices just before serving.
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Preheat oven to 220°C fan-forced (240°C conventional). In a small bowl, combine oil, rosemary, oregano, fennel seeds and garlic.
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Cut 3 slashes across top of lamb, at even intervals. Rub sides of lamb with herb mixture. Season. Transfer to a large roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes, or until golden brown all over. Remove from oven.
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Reduce oven to 140°C fan-forced (160°C conventional). Lamb should be fleshy side-down. Carefully add onion, wine, water and stock to pan. Top with a sheet of baking paper. Cover tightly with foil. Roast lamb for 5 hours. Discard foil. Turn lamb. Cook for a further 30 minutes, or until meat falls away easily from the bone. Remove. Rest, loosely covered with foil, for 15 minutes.
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To make feta cream, process feta, oil, juice and garlic until smooth. Transfer to a bowl. Stir in yoghurt.
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Arrange lamb and onion on a serving platter. Spoon over cooking juices. Scatter with mint. Serve with beetroot, feta cream and salad leaves.
Cook's tips:
- A microplane with a shredding attachment is a great tool to use to shred the beetroot.
- Beetroot should be pickled for a minimum of 2 days for best flavour and used within 1 week.
- For an easy shortcut, replace the feta cream with storebought tzatziki.
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