Preheat the oven to 220°C (200°C fan) mark 7. In a small bowl mix together the anchovy fillets, lemon zest, chopped rosemary, oil and plenty of seasoning. Next, lay the lamb shoulder on a board and slash the fatty side well with a sharp knife. Rub the marinade all over the lamb.
Step 2
Put the onion slices and garlic into a roasting tin (just large enough to hold the lamb). Lay the lamb on top (slashed-side up) and cover the tin with foil. Turn the oven down to 170°C (150°C fan) mark 3. Slow-roast for 4hr, removing foil for the last 45min to allow the lamb to brown. The lamb is ready when you can shred the meat off the bone with two forks.
Step 3
Transfer the lamb to a board and cover again with foil while you make the gravy (lamb can rest happily for up to 45 min).
Step 4
Pour off most of the fat from the roasting tin (leaving the onions and garlic in place). Whisk in the cornflour, then the wine and mint (stalks and all). Bring to the boil, whisking frequently (and squishing the vegetables), until the gravy thickens. Add about 200ml water and simmer until gravy reaches the desired consistency. Strain; check the seasoning. Serve with lamb.
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
