Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Potatoes and Fennel

Ingredients

• 1 bone -in lamb shoulder (about 1.12kg), at room temperature
• 300 ml chicken stock
• 4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 4cm chunks
• 1 black pepper, crushed
• black pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 0 cinnamon
• 3 tbsp rosemary, chopped
• 15 g oregano, chopped
• 1 cumin seed, crushed
• 2 onions, peeled and sliced into 3cm wedges
• 12 cloves, peeled
• 150 ml dry white wine
• 1 .5 tsp salt
• 3 fennels, cut into 2cm wedges, fronds reserved

Method

1. Crush the peppercorns and cumin seeds in a mortar, then stir together with the paprika, cinnamon and 1½ tsp salt. Toasting happens in the oven — as the rub hits the hot lamb fat it blooms and releases its oils, so don't skip the cumin and pepper crush. Season the lamb shoulder generously all over and press the spice rub firmly into every surface, working it into the folds. Leave at room temperature for an hour, or cover and chill overnight for deeper flavour (bring back to room temperature before roasting).
2. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan).
3. In a large, heavy roasting tin, toss the potato chunks, onion wedges, garlic cloves, rosemary and oregano with a good pinch of salt and a generous grind of pepper. Spread them in a single layer — crowding here means steamed potatoes, not roasted ones. Reserve the fennel for later; it goes in for the final blast so it caramelises rather than collapses.
4. Nestle the lamb shoulder fat-side up into the centre of the tin, pour the white wine and chicken stock around (not over) the vegetables, then cover tightly with foil. The liquid breaks down the spice rub and the vegetables release their own juices — you're building a braise underneath while the top of the shoulder waits its turn. Roast for 3 hours, until the lamb is meltingly tender and pulling away from the bone.
5. Lift the foil off and turn the oven up to 240°C (220°C fan). Move the lamb onto a parchment-lined tray and return it, uncovered, to the top of the oven for 30–45 minutes until the surface is deeply browned, the fat blistered, and the edges crisp. Watch the garlic in the tin below — at this heat it tips from sweet to bitter quickly, so pull any cloves that look like they're going past pale gold.
6. Tent the lamb loosely with foil and rest for 20–30 minutes. Non-negotiable — cut it early and the juices run onto the board instead of staying in the meat.
7. While the lamb rests, tip the fennel wedges into the roasting tin with the part-cooked vegetables, turn them through the pan juices, and return to the hot oven for 20 minutes until the potato and fennel edges are crisp and burnished. Taste the pan juices — they've reduced now, so adjust for salt and pepper before serving.
8. To serve, carve or pull the lamb into generous chunks and settle it back onto the bed of potatoes, onions and fennel along with any resting juices. Scatter the reserved fennel fronds over the top and bring the tin straight to the table.