Tandoori Spiced Lamb Shoulder Slow Roasted in Yoghurt and Almond
Using a mix of plain yoghurt and tandoori spice blended with some ground cinnamon and almonds to enrich along with plenty of fresh ginger and garlic to marinate a lamb shoulder is extremely good cookery practice. The yoghurt tenderises the lamb which cooks low and slow creating the most delicious juices to spoon over the cooked lamb. This is a real centrepiece of a recipe, one to make and share with friends and family this Easter. Serve with some flatbreads or rice steamed with whole spices, alongside a chopped salad dressed with lemon juice, some pomegranate seeds and plenty of chopped coriander, with more seasoned yoghurt, some good pickles and chutneys for the win.
INGREDIENTS
1.25 - 1.5Kg lamb shoulder, with about 5 x 1cm deep cuts into top side
120g natural yogurt
50g ground almonds
2 tbsp tandoori spice
1 tsp ground cinnamon
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 tbsp finely grated fresh ginger
1/2 lemon, juiced, the remainder cut into wedges to serve
Salt and pepper
Small bunch coriander, roughly chopped
2 tbsp almonds, roughly chopped (optional)
METHOD
Mix the yogurt with the ground almonds, garlic, ginger, lemon, 1 tsp salt and the spices to a thick paste.
Place a large piece of foil into the roasting tin (enough to wrap the lamb in) then place a piece of baking parchment on top
Season the lamb with salt and pepper, then rub all over with the yoghurt mix, pushing the paste into the cuts. Allow to marinade for at least 2 hours or overnight.Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan.
Place the lamb onto the baking parchment, folding the parchment around to create a parcel. Fold the foil around the parchment to hold everything in place.
Bake in the oven for 2 - 2 ½ hours until completely tender then peel back the foil and baking parchment and bake for a further 20 minutes or until the lamb is browning around the edges.
Allow to rest for 20 minutes, then serve topped with the coriander and chopped almonds if using, and with lemon wedges on the side.
Pull or slice into large chunks, along with any juices and bits of yogurt crust, and serve with flatbreads or rice.