Nick Nairn recipes: shoulder of lamb with rosemary, garlic, anchovy and capers

It has a lengthy cooking time but is simple to prepare, tastes spectacular, and what it lacks in looks it makes up for in smell and flavour.

The whole house fills with the sweet-scented aromas of garlic, rosemary and succulent lamb while it cooks – the perfect welcome for hungry friends.

Slow-roasting (or to be technically correct, braising) tougher but more flavoursome joints of meat will not only tenderise it, making it more succulent, it will bring out all the inherent flavours. Cooking a boned shoulder of lamb slowly over a bed of vegetables and wine will allow all of the fat to melt through the meat as it cooks, adding flavour and keeping it moist. The juices will also flow out into the vegetables and wine in the roasting tin to make a fantastic concentrated natural jus or gravy which can be strained and skimmed of excess fat once the meat is resting.

Ask your butcher to bone the shoulder as it's an awkward joint to carve if left on the bone – even a supermarket with a good butcher's meat counter will do this for you while you do the rest of your shopping. Some even sell ready-boned shoulders in the chilled cabinet.

We all know that rosemary and garlic have a natural affinity with lamb. But French and Italian cooks have long been adding two other ingredients to bring out the flavour of the sweet meat, which you might find surprising – anchovies and capers. All anchovies are salted before being processed to preserve them. This removes the moisture and concentrates the flavour. When you use a small amount in a stew or pushed into small slits in a leg of lamb, the anchovy will break down and melt into the flesh and sauce, seasoning it with a savoury saltiness but no fishy smell or taste. In fact few will be able to tell that it's even there – but it will make all the difference to the finished dish. You can leave the anchovies out of course, but give it a go and you'll be pleasantly surprised. Capers do the same thing, as long as you use salted ones and not those pickled in vinegar. They are pretty easy to find and keep for ages. The tip here is to rinse them really well to get rid of excess salt. Taste one and if it is salty, leave to soak for half an hour in cold water then rinse again. If they are too large they can be chopped up a bit, but I like to use the smaller ones as they have the best flavour. If you don't fancy the rustic charm of the stuffing ingredients, then by all means chop it all up together and smear it on to the meat as a paste – your choice.

Rolling and tying it up is a cinch, but you may need an extra finger to help tie a knot or two. Once snug in the oven on its bed of veggies and wine, you can almost forget about the joint for the next five to six hours, returning every now and then to baste it and breathe its wonderful aroma. There is no need to thicken the pan juices – just rest the meat, strain and skim the juices, reducing if necessary. Then bring the whole lot to the table to slice and serve. Copious amounts of good red wine is the best accompaniment, with a seasonal veggie selection of course.

Six-hour shoulder of lamb with rosemary, garlic, anchovy and capers

Serves six

1.8kg boned shoulder of lamb

2-3 large branches of rosemary, washed

4 large garlic cloves, halved lengthways

8 anchovy fillets (optional)

8-12 small salted capers, rinsed well (optional)

olive oil

3 medium carrots, peeled and halved

1 red onion, peeled and quartered

3 celery sticks, washed

180ml red wine

freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas mark 7. Pull the needles off two branches of the rosemary and peel the garlic cloves. If the cloves are particularly large, cut each half into quarters or chop up a bit.

Unroll the meat skin-side down on a clean work surface, exposing the boned-out, meaty side. Cut out any large pieces of excess fat. Scatter as much rosemary over this as you like, then throw the garlic on top. Next place the anchovies randomly over the rosemary and garlic, followed by a scattering of capers. Season with plenty of ground black pepper, but no salt as the anchovies and capers should both contain enough salt for the job. If you've decided not to use the anchovies and capers (shame!) then you will need salt.

Next, roll the meat like a Swiss roll from the shorter side and, using fine cooking string/twine, tie up fairly tightly, starting in the middle and working towards each end to give a nice tidy joint.

Place the joint in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil, season well and bung in the oven to sear for 15 minutes, then turn the temperature right down to 140C/fan 120C/gas mark 1.

Remove the tray from the oven and place the carrot, onion and celery around the meat and tuck in the remaining rosemary branch, then pour the wine over the top of the meat. Cover loosely with kitchen foil, but making sure the edges are sealed around the tin, and return to the oven to slow-roast for five to six hours, basting every 30 minutes or so, then resealing. Basting frequently helps keep the meat moist and encourages the build-up of a good glaze on the outside.

When finished, the lamb will be thoroughly cooked through, meltingly tender, and not pink at all. The garlic will be soft as butter and the anchovy just melts into the meat, disappearing completely but acting as a seasoning with the capers.

If using a digital thermometer, check the core temperature of the meat when basting – when it reads 90C, the meat is done. If not using this handy gadget, stick to the cooking time given and then remove the joint from the oven, transfer to a warm carving dish or board, cover loosely with foil and leave to rest in a warm place for 30-45 minutes before carving.

Strain the pan juices into a jug and skim off any fat or oil. Taste the juices and if you like a more concentrated jus, pour into a pan and boil hard to reduce until it tastes right to you. Keep it warm.

Once the joint has rested, remove the string and carve into generous slices and serve with good old baked potatoes, roasties or mash or for a treat, a creamy gratin dauphinoise. This is one of those dishes that is perfect paired with a medley of olive oil-roasted Mediterranean vegetables – peppers, courgettes, aubergines and red onions. Failing that, a stir-fry of purple sprouting broccoli, garlic and chilli is one of my favourites.

Critical points

Open the meat up and remove over-large lumps of fat inside.Season the meat well and spread the stuffing ingredients evenly over the cut surface. Roll up and tie tightly to give the joint a good shape.

Either brown the joint directly in the roasting tin over the heat or sear quickly in the oven to give a good colour and flavour. Then make sure the oven is turned down to the lower temperature suitable for slow-cooking.

Baste the lamb often with the juices from the pan to build up a glaze and keep the joint moist.

Rest well after cooking to make sure the meat remains succulent before carving.

This article was first published in Scotland on Sunday, January 31, 2010