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This slow roast lamb shoulder is one of those dinners that feels properly special without turning the whole kitchen upside down. The lamb cooks low and slow until it’s beautifully tender, the vegetables soak up all those savoury pan juices, and the cider gravy ties the whole lot together in the most glorious way.
“Fabulous recipe for a one pan wonder roast dinner! It went down a treat! I cooked the lamb a little on the rare side, and it literally pulled apart with a fork! I got to use a lamb shoulder I’d had in the freezer for ages!! Thank you so much!! 😀”
Nicky’s Notes
This is my kind of roast dinner for the days when I want all the comfort and drama of a big centrepiece, but with a little less kitchen chaos. Lamb shoulder is such a rewarding cut to cook like this because it gives you loads of flavour and stays lovely and juicy as it roasts.
What I really love here is that the vegetables aren’t just something happening on the side. They sit right there in the tin with the lamb, catching all those savoury juices as they roast. It makes the whole dinner feel joined-up, hearty and properly satisfying.
It’s also a very handy one for having people over. You can get the lamb in the oven, get on with your day, then finish the veg and gravy without a mad final rush. That’s always a win in my book.
Table of Contents
No par-boiling potatoes, no peeling of carrots and no need to install a second sink to fit in all of the pots and pans that the average roast dinner requires!
🧑🍳 Abbreviated Recipe
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
- We start off by drizzling oil onto a big shoulder of lamb, then sprinkling with salt, pepper and rosemary, covering with foil and placing in the oven for 3 hours.
- After three hours, baste the lamb and add in the potatoes (adding oil and seasoning again) for 15 minutes.
- Then add in carrots, shallots, butternut squash and sprouts. Toss all of the vegetables in the fat and meat juices in the pan. Back into the oven for 15 minutes.
- Then add tenderstem broccoli and lightly season, before placing back in the oven for a final 15 minutes.
Making the meaty gravy
Remove from the oven and place the vegetables and lamb on a warm serving plate to rest while you make the gravy.
- Place the roasting tin over a medium-high heat and pour in the cider.
- Scrape up all of the bits from the pan and simmer for a few minutes.
- Then add in lamb stock and bring to the boil. Stir in a little cornflour (cornstarch) slurry to thicken.
This is the sort of roast I turn to when I want something generous and comforting, but I also want to enjoy the day rather than spend it juggling trays and timing everything down to the second. You get succulent lamb, a pan full of flavour-packed vegetables, and a gravy that tastes as though you’ve been quietly tending it for hours.
Serving suggestions
This is already a very complete dinner, but if you’re going all in, I’d add a couple of extra sides to round things out. You could serve it with:
- Crispy roast potatoes or smashed potatoes if you’d like a separate, extra-crunchy potato option alongside the one-pan veg
- Yorkshire puddings for that proper roast-dinner feel
- Cauliflower cheese if you want something extra cosy and indulgent
- Oh and don’t forget the mint sauce < must side for any roast lamb dinner!
Alternative joints of Lamb:
- If you’d prefer to use a leg of lamb, then use a 1.8kg-2kg leg of lamb – with the same temperature and timings.
- You could also use a boneless rolled leg or boneless rolled shoulder of lamb.
Joints of meat are much more flavourful and juicy when cooked with the bone in, but it is easier to carve a boneless joint. Boneless joints are usually smaller, so you’ll need to reduce the cooking time accordingly.
Most advice calls for 25-30 minutes of cooking per 450g/1 lb plus 25-30 minutes. I would also add an extra 30 minutes cooking time for the whole dish (including the vegetables), this is because adding vegetables to the tin, slows down the cooking of the lamb.
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📺 Watch how to make it
Slow roast lamb shoulder recipe
Ingredients
- 2-2.2 kg (4.4 – 4.8 lbs) shoulder of lamb
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 4 medium red-skinned potatoes chopped into large chunks (no need to peel)
- 10 small carrots peeled with trimmed tops
- 10 shallots peeled
- ½ butternut squash peeled and sliced into 1cm-thick half-moons
- 12 sprouts
- 200 g (4 oz) tenderstem broccoli
Cider Gravy
- 150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) cider hard cider if you're in the US
- 300 ml (1 1/4 cups) lamb stock
- 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch) mixed with 4 tbsp cold water to make a slurry
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F (fan). Place the lamb in a large baking tin and score the fatty bits of the lamb lightly with a sharp knife.2-2.2 kg (4.4 – 4.8 lbs) shoulder of lamb
- Rub on one tablespoon of the olive oil, then sprinkle on half of the salt, pepper and rosemary (1/2 tsp of each). Cover the tin with foil (tent it over the lamb, so it’s not actually touching the lamb) and place in the oven for 3 hours (this will give you well-done but juicy lamb. Cook for 2 hours and 15 minutes if you like your lamb a little rarer).3 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried rosemary
- After 3 hours, remove the foil and baste the lamb.
- Arrange the potatoes in the tin around the lamb. Drizzle the remaining oil onto the potatoes and sprinkle on half of the remaining salt, pepper, and rosemary (1/4 tsp of each).4 medium red-skinned potatoes
- Place back in the oven to cook, uncovered for 15 minutes
- Open the oven and turn the potatoes. Add the carrots, shallots, butternut squash and sprouts. Turn them in the oil and meat juices to coat, then place them back in the oven for a further 15 minutes.10 small carrots, 10 shallots, ½ butternut squash, 12 sprouts
- Open the oven and add the broccoli. Turn to coat in the oil and meat juices and sprinkle the remaining salt, pepper, and rosemary (1/4 tsp of each) onto all of the vegetables. Place back in the oven for a final 15 minutes.200 g (4 oz) tenderstem broccoli
- Remove from the oven and place the lamb and vegetables on a warm serving plate, then cover with foil and leave to rest for 10 minutes whilst you make the gravy.
- Add the cider to the meat juices in the roasting pan (alternatively you can transfer the meat juices from the roasting pan to a saucepan – scrape it clean so you get all the flavour and boil for 5 minutes until reduced by half.150 ml (1/2 cup + 2 tbsp) cider
- Add the stock and bring back to the boil. Slowly pour in the cornflour and water mixture whilst stirring until the gravy has thickened. Give it a little taste and add a little salt and pepper if required.300 ml (1 1/4 cups) lamb stock, 2 tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- Remove the foil from the lamb and serve with the cider gravy.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This The roast lamb shoulder recipe was first posted in Aug 2019. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
Leftover roast lamb
My absolute favourite thing to do with leftover roast lamb is make a crispy lamb salad. If you’ve not tried it then trust me this is one salad you need to give a go.
🍲 More Lamb recipes
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Perfect every time. Thank you for sharing this delicious recipe.
Hi Nicky you can delete this later. Instruction 7 says ¼ tsp of eaconto all of the vegetables. I spent a good few minutes wondering what eaconto was as I ‘d never heard of it. Then I realised it mean’t ‘each onto’! Loving your recipes.
hi is 180c means fan oven?
Hi Nikki,
Yes its 180c fan oven
Thanks
Chris
Fabulous recipe for a one pan wonder roast dinner! It went down a treat! I cooked the lamb a little on the rare side, and it literally pulled apart with a fork! I got to use a lamb shoulder I’d had in the freezer for ages!! Thank you so much!! 😀
Thanks Aynsley,
Really glad you enjoyed it.
Chris & Nicky
What temperature do you set the oven to?
Hi Bob,
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F
Thanks
Chris
Fine way of explaining, and pleasant article to get facts about my presentation subject matter, which i am going to deliver in university.
Beautiful.
The presentation of this is gorgeous! Can’t wait to make this soon.
hi, great reciept, to be tried at any time, i will be making it. all your reciepts are great, look forward to getting more.
Your writing seems to be totally an inspiring one. Thank You!!
I like leg of lamb medium rare but have never prepared a shoulder roast. That looks delicious! Thanks!