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Matt Preston's roast lamb shoulder with couscous and orange salad

Name: Matt Preston's lamb shoulder with couscous and salad recipe
Yield: 8
Ingredients: 1.5kg boneless lamb shoulder, trussed, at room temperature; 50.00 ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to drizzle; 500ml chicken; 6 red onions, cut into thick wedges; 1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally; 125ml white wine; 1 tsp instant coffee granules; 3 tsp finely grated orange zest, plus extra, to serve; Pomegranate arils, to serve; Buttered couscous, to serve; 1 red onion, thinly sliced; 1 tsp caster sugar; 175g medjool dates, seeded, thinly sliced lengthways; 3 oranges, segmented, juice reserved; 1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, stems reserved and finely chopped for the garlic sauce; 20.00 ml pomegranate molasses, or to taste; 20.00 ml white wine vinegar

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Matt Preston's roast lamb shoulder with couscous salad — Matt Preston's roast lamb shoulder with couscous and orange salad

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by Matt Preston

delicious. senior editor

Sep 26, 2024

"If you want pullable rather than pink lamb, reduce temperature to 160°C/140°C fan-forced, loosely cover with foil and cook for 4 hours, adding the garlic and onion with 45 minutes to go. If you don’t have a heatproof blender, cool sauce until warm to touch before blending." - Matt Preston

1.5kg boneless lamb shoulder, trussed, at room temperature
2 1/2 tbs extra virgin olive oil, plus extra, to drizzle
2 cups (500ml) chicken or vegetable stock
6 red onions, cut into thick wedges
1 garlic bulb, halved horizontally
1/2 cup (125ml) white wine
1 tsp instant coffee granules
3 tsp finely grated orange zest, plus extra, to serve
Pomegranate arils, to serve
Buttered couscous, to serve

Salad

1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp caster sugar
175g medjool dates, seeded, thinly sliced lengthways
3 oranges, segmented, juice reserved
1/2 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves, stems reserved and finely chopped for the garlic sauce
1 tbs pomegranate molasses, or to taste
1 tbs white wine vinegar

Method

1.

Preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced. Season lamb all over. Heat oil in a large flameproof casserole or roasting pan over high heat. Sear lamb, turning occasionally, for 3-5 minutes until browned all over. Remove pan from heat and pour stock around lamb. Scatter onion wedges and garlic around lamb and roast for 1 hour-1 hour 15 minutes until lamb is medium, or cook to your liking (see notes).
2.

Transfer lamb, onion and garlic to a plate, reserving pan, and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.
3.

Meanwhile, to make salad, place onion in a small bowl with sugar and scatter liberally with salt flakes. Stand for 30 minutes, then squeeze out excess moisture with your hands. Transfer to a large bowl with remaining ingredients, season and toss well to combine.
4.

While the lamb rests, make the sauce. Squeeze garlic cloves out of skins into a heatproof blender (or see notes), discarding skins. Place roasting pan over medium heat. Add wine, coffee, zest and reserved parsley stems and stir, scraping bottom of pan with a spoon. Simmer for 3-4 minutes, until sauce reduces to 1/3 cup (80ml). Pour into blender and, with the steam cap on, whiz until smooth. Season and keep warm.
5.

To serve, spoon some garlic sauce over a plate and top with sliced lamb and onions. Scatter with extra zest and pomegranate arils. Serve with salad, couscous and remaining sauce on the side.