For the most meltingly tender roast lamb of your life,roast it for 12 hours in a very low oven. And give lamb leg a miss. Lamb shoulder is the way to go – more flavour,much juicier!
Roasting
Slow roasting the lamb – I find it easiest to do this overnight. Plus,it leaves the oven free during the day to make other things. The low oven temperature and amount of water used is specifically designed so it's safe to leave the oven on overnight. After 12 hours,there is a LOT of liquid still left in the roasting pan – no risk of burnt pan drippings!
Reheating
Reheating and storing lamb – The beauty of lamb shoulder cooked this way is that it reheats to 100 per cent freshly made perfection. After the lamb is cooked overnight,cover loosely with foil then leave to fully cool. Then refrigerate until required. To reheat,cover in foil and reheat in a 150C oven for 1 hour. In the event of an emergency,microwave it!
Meat allocation between dishes
- Each 1.8kg lamb shoulder yields 900g cooked meat (with larger fat bits removed).
- Serve the first lamb shoulder for the roast dinner,reserving 100g of meat for themoussaka andgyros.
- You need 500g cooked,shredded lamb meat for themoussaka and 500g for thegyros,1kg in total. Use the second lamb shoulder plus 100g from the first.
- Cooked lamb will keep 5 days in the fridge,or freezer for 3 months.