Ingredients
- Serves 6
- 3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 3 thyme sprigs, leaves picked and roughly chopped
- 3 rosemary sprigs, leaves picked and roughly chopped
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1-2tbsp olive oil
- 2kg lamb shoulder, boned and rolled
- 2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 celery stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped
- 3 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 bay leaf
- 250ml red ale or dark beer
- 250ml beef or lamb stock
- For the butter bean mash:
- 1tbsp plain flour
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 2 x 400g tins of butter beans, drained and rinsed
- Small handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Food writer Caroline Hennessy and her partner run the Eight Degrees Brewing company in Cork producing a selection of artisan beers and ales. Their sunburnt Irish red ale is the perfect cooking liquor for this braised lamb shoulder. Serve with butter bean mash or any root veg mash.
Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F), Gas Mark 2.
In a pestle and mortar, bash together the garlic, thyme, chopped rosemary and some sea salt until you have a coarse paste.
Using a small sharp knife, poke holes in the lamb and then rub all over with the garlic and herb paste, pushing it into the holes as you go.
Heat a little of the oil in a large casserole with a lid over a high heat. Add the lamb and brown it on all sides until it has a golden brown colour. Remove the lamb from the casserole with a slotted spoon and set aside on a plate. Add a little extra oil to the pot if required, add the onions, celery and carrots and cook for about 6-8 minutes until the onions have softened.
Pour in the ale and stock, add the lamb on top, pop in the bay leaf and bring to a steady simmer. Cover with the lid and place in the oven to cook for about 4 hours until the meat is completely tender. Baste with the liquid at regular intervals.
Remove the lamb from the pot and leave it to rest on a chopping board under foil. Spoon any fat from the top of the lamb cooking liquid and place the pot over a high heat.
Remove a few tablespoons of the liquid to a boil and whisk through the flour, transfer this back to the pot and bring to a steady simmer until it thickens slightly, stirring continuously.
Season with sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.
For the butter bean mash, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a low heat.
