melting tender lamb

supper last night was very easy. it needed to be as david was doing the final coats of paint in the kitchen, a job i started last september when we moved into the house, but didn’t get round to finishing (for a good but very boring reason!).

it was also a meal of necessity as the fridge was almost empty and the choice of ingredients limited. the starting point was a couple of pieces of lamb neck fillet which i’d bought during one of summer’s many chilly patches, with a warming stew in mind.

instead, inspired by this delia recipe, i decided to slowly roast the lamb with onions, lemon and herbs. after 3 hours in the oven the result was beautifully tender meat, meltingly soft onions and a meal which should have resulted in leftovers but which was completely demolished. i shall be making it again!

roasted neck of lamb (serves 2-3)

400-500g boneless neck of lamb

2 red onions, cut into thin wedges

4 cloves garlic, finely diced

½ a teaspoon dried oregano

½ a teaspoon dried thyme

juice of a lemon

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt & freshly ground black pepper

preheat the oven to 150c. remove any excess fat from the lamb and cut it into 3cm chunks. place the lamb and onions onto a large piece of foil which is on a baking sheet. sprinkle with the garlic and herbs, add the lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning and mix well. seal the foil to make a parcel and roast for 3 hours (i find 2 hours is enough).