Italian Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder

Over Christmas, Rachel and I had the opportunity and pleasure to eat at Richmond's best restaurant for a second time. Al Boccon Di Vino is a small, traditional Venetian restaurant run and owned by Riccardo, a flamboyant and gifted chef. 

Riccardo

There is no menu, just whatever Riccardo decides to serve on any given day. The very best seasonal produce prepared using the expertise passed through generations of his family and the passion for gorgeous food running through his veins.  

There may be no menu but there is certainly no lack of food, the courses keep coming all evening - charcuterie, smoked cheese, prawns, scallops, salad, ravioli, risotto, carpaccio, lasagna, fish and more, all beautifully prepared and washed down with good Italian wine. Then the organised chaos of the kitchen quietens and gasps of shock and surprised desire spread around the room followed by warm applause, here comes the pinnacle of the savoury dishes - a deliciously slow cooked lamb, straight from the oven and paraded through the restaurant.

Customers that have already had their fill five times over are caught up in the atmosphere created by the theatrical culinary performance starring Riccardo and ably supported by his staff, again brought to a state of desire to eat even more delicious food!
 
The lamb is beautifully cooked and beautiful in it's simplicity. No fancy sauces or spices. Just great quality meat, cooked to perfection, enhanced with a couple of flavours - in this case garlic and rosemary, a classic combination, with some simple potatoes on the side. And there was still the deserts to come...
 
I cannot recommend Al Boccon Da Vino (translation - 'A Devine Mouthful') enough, for days after memories of mouthfuls of wonderful tastes come flashing back from the many different courses throughout the 4 hour banquet. If i were to try, i would struggle to real off everything we were served, such was the generosity of the event made more hazy by a good helping of the house wine.

I managed to ask Riccardo how he prepared the lamb and he responded 'Italian food is simple, just great ingredients, the lamb - 5 hours with olive oil, garlic and rosemary' - perfect. 

So a few days later when my stomach had flattened slightly I decided to give it a go. Rachel suggested we should roast some sweet potatoes as well as normal potatoes and this added a great sweet addition to the final dish. The next day we had the leftovers with a simple feta, rocket and tomato salad which also went well but is really not necessary, the lamb and potatoes alone are so full of flavour and splendidly moist.
 

Ingredients, serves 4 to 6 -

Approx 1.75kg lamb shoulder
Whole bulb of garlic
4 rosemary stems
Good quality olive oil

3 medium sized potatoes
3 sweet potatoes
(Both unpeeled and chopped into large pieces, around 1 inch thick)

• Preheat oven to full temperature.
• Rub olive oil into the meat, season both sides generously with salt and pepper.
• Slice into the fatty side of the meat with a knife.
• Smash the garlic bulbs and add half to the bottom of a high sided baking tin with half the rosemary.
• Place the meat on top.
• Add the rest of the garlic and rosemary to the top of the meat, tucking into the scored fat.
• Tightly cover with foil.
• Place in the oven and immediately turn down to 160c/150c (fan).
• Cook for 3 and a half hours.
• Add chopped potatoes to the baking tin, stir to coat in the lamb juices and thick sticky garlicky deliciousness which has developed in the roasting tin. Take the opportunity to baste the lamb too.
• Recover and cook for a further hour.
• Remove the lamb and allow to rest, covered in foil. 
• Spread the potatoes out, turn the oven up to 210c and return to the oven, uncovered to crisp up, approx 20 mins.
• Just before the potatoes are done pull the lamb from the bone using a fork. 
• Serve the crisp potatoes and sweet potatoes with a generous portion of lamb.