The new Sunday roast

At least once a week, here at the Everyday Baker household we like to gather at the table, sit down and have a nice family meal.

Just once a week, you may gasp?

Well our lads usually eat dinner at 5:30pm and Mr Everyday Baker and I are not really so keen on the super earlybird special.

We prefer to get them fed, bathed and put to bed, so we can enjoy a candlelit dinner for two with some highbrow adult conversation – which also translates to eating our dinner in front of the television.

The family dinner must be extremely well-timed, because if I keep the little people waiting too long then they start to fall to pieces and the scene gets very ugly.

So I’ve been favouring something I can start earlier in the day, such as this slow roasted Moroccan lamb shoulder.

I was initially cautious about the spice paste, as I wasn’t sure the lads would be into it, but I also wanted to push their taste boundaries a little because I can’t eat spaghetti bolognaise every Sunday.

Thankfully, they loved it.  

The lamb takes on a melt in the mouth tenderness and you can serve it however you wish, but we accompanied it with a roasted vegetable couscous salad, homemade flatbreads and a yoghurt/avocado/Dijon dip.

Or as the lads viewed it – a I’m-not-eating-that salad, yum wraps! And a side of, what’s this green stuff? Ooh it tastes like yoghurt, it’s quite good.

A menu to suit both young and old.

Roasted Moroccan Lamb

Ingredients

2kg shoulder of lamb (or similar)

70g soft butter

3 garlic cloves, chopped finely

2 teaspoons cumin

3 teaspoons ground coriander

1 teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon sea salt

Method

Preheat oven to 220C.

Take your lamb and stab small slits all around it with the tip of a sharp knife.

To make the spice paste, mix spices, garlic and salt with the butter, until mixed thoroughly.

Spread the paste all over the lamb – best way to do that is using your hands so you can really give that lamb a good massage and get all the flavours in there.

Put the lamb in a deep roasting dish and bake for 15 minutes, before turning the oven down to 160C.

Continually baste the lamb every 30 minutes, which involves spooning the juices back over the meat to keep it moist.

Cook for about 3-3 ½ hours or until beautifully tender.

Carve or shred, depending on your preference.

Enjoy!