Allyson Gofton - Relish The Lamb

The recipe, taken from the first Country Calendar Cook Book, is simply delicious. These are the tips I use to slow cook to perfection:

• Have flavourings under the meat so they can impart their flavour to the meat while cooking – onion, garlic, carrots leek, herbs. These can be discarded at the end of cooking time.
• Add liquid – water, stock - to the roasting pan , add flavourings and meat and then cover everything with a lid or foil. Cook for at least half the time like this.
• After half the cooking time is up, remove the cover, and continue to cook. Add more liquid, as required, to prevent the juices in the roasting pan burning.
• Extra flavours such as sauces can be added to the meat in the last 1-2 hours of cooking if wished.
• Slow cooking suits meat that has the bone in; it will be far more flavoursome.
• Cook until the meat falls from the bone.
• Do allow the meat to rest before ‘pulling’ the meat from the bone.
• For slow cooking I cook at between 120-140°C. Should I need to brown meat up, I increase the temperature to a higher fan-bake setting, at the end for a short burst.

Recipe:
Relish Roasted Mutton
Pantry basics get used with great creativity when you're miles from the nearest shop. Anne created this recipe idea some years ago when there was the last of the summer's home-made relish left on the shelf.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: About 35-40 minutes per 500 grams
Makes: 8-10

Ingredients:
1 leg or shoulder mutton (or lamb)
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup tomato relish (Ivy's Tomato Relish, see recipe here)

Gravy:
Roasting liquid
Stock or water
1 tablespoon flour

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160ºC. Weigh the leg of mutton or lamb and take note of the weight.
2. Rub the meat well with the oil and place in a roasting dish. Slather the meat with the relish and cover with baking paper or foil.
3. Roast in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes per 500 grams (30 minutes for lamb) or until firm to the touch. Remove the baking paper or foil and return to a 180ºC oven for an extra 10 minutes to brown up the outside of the meat. Transfer to a platter to rest for 15 minutes while preparing the gravy.
4. Drain off the fat and cooking juices from the pan, discarding the fat. Make the juices up to 2 cups with stock or water and return to the roasting dish. Bring to the boil, stirring regularly over a moderate heat to lift all the sediment from the pan. Mix the flour with a little water to a smooth paste and stir into the dish. Cook, stirring until thickened. Season with salt and pepper and add a dash more relish, if wished.
5. Carve the meat into thin slices and serve with your favourite roast vegetables.

Cooks Tips:

• Mutton needs to be well-cooked, while lamb can be enjoyed medium or medium-rare. - As Anne is out working on the farm most days, she will often cook her roast from frozen. To do this, place the meat in the roasting dish with the relish and roast at 120ºC, checking after 5-6 hours to see how it's going and assess how much more cooking time is required.