Slow-Cooked Spiced Lamb Shoulder with Winter Slaw & Zhoug

This flavourful dish puts a fresh and zingy spin on traditional roast lamb and couldn't be easier to prepare - perfect to cook slow and low on a lazy Sunday

15 minutes prep, 4 hours cook

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the lamb:

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1 tbsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 ½ tbsp ground cumin

1 bulb garlic

1 ½ onions

1 bone-in shoulder of lamb (approx.1.5kg)

Salt and pepper

For the slaw:

½ small red cabbage

½ onion

2 carrots

2 yellow peppers

1 tbsp dried mint

1-2 tbsp red wine vinegar

For the zhoug:

Small bunch fresh coriander

1-2 green chillies (depending on how spicy you like it)

½ tsp cumin

1 garlic clove

To serve:

8 large flatbreads

Greek yoghurt

Method

Preheat your oven to 170°C/Fan 150°C/Gas 3.

Mix the smoked paprika, coriander, cinnamon and 1½ tablespoons of the cumin in a small bowl. Cut one and a half red onions into wedges. Take one clove of garlic out of the bulb and peel to be used later.

Rub the lamb all over with the spice mix and season with salt and black pepper. Transfer to a high-sided roasting tin along with the onion wedges and garlic bulb. Drizzle over olive oil then pour in enough water to submerge the bottom half of the meat. Cover the tray with a layer of baking paper and then foil. Make sure it’s tightly sealed. Roast in the oven for 3½–4 hours until meltingly tender; it should shred with two forks.

Once the lamb is cooked, shred into the pan with the onions. Squeeze the garlic out from its skin and mix into the meat. Season with salt and black pepper then place back into the oven, uncovered, for the sauce to reduce while you make everything else.

Slaw and zhoug time. Thinly slice the remaining onion half and scrape into a large bowl. Finely shred or coarsely grate in the cabbage and carrots. Slice the peppers, add to the bowl along with the dried mint and 1 tablespoon of the red wine vinegar. Toss the slaw, season with salt and black pepper to taste, adding more vinegar if you like.

For the sauce, blitz the coriander (stalks and all) in a food processor with the green chilli, remaining garlic clove, cumin and a good drizzle of oil until a smooth, drizzling sauce. Add a splash of water to loosen if it needs it. Season with salt, black pepper and lemon juice to taste.

Heat the flatbreads. Remove the lamb from the oven and serve DIY style at the table with the warm flatbreads and slaw, zhoug and yoghurt for topping for the ultimate style kebabs.