Fig roasted Shoulder of Lamb with Carrot top Chimichurri

Posted by petra08 on September 30, 2019 · 2 Comments 

I wanted to make fig jam for the market so I bought quite a few for a trial. The figs were so delicious I couldn’t sop eating them and by the time I made the jam I didn’t have many left.

I find figs sweet but they work just as well with sweet as with savory, adding it’s soft but distinct texture.

One of my favorite ways to eat figs is this fig and burrata salad with added watermelon, chilli and a really good olive oil.

Rain and strong winds arrived with the weekend and it was perfect for a roast.

I bought a shoulder of lamb. I have been cutting down on fish and meat for plant based foods but every now and then I can’t resist a roast. Living here makes it easy to buy local and organic meat from farms nearby.

When I bought the lamb I came across a bunch of carrot tinnings with the tops still on. I picked some beetroot and chevril from the garden and started cooking.

Shoulder of lamb is a cut that requires patience but you will be rewarded with fall off the bone, melt in your mouth meat. A shoulder should cook for five hours or until the meat easily comes off the bone.

Fig roasted shoulder of Lamb

preparation time 10 minutes

cooking time 5 hours

oven 140C or 280F

serves 3

Ingredients

• 1/2 shoulder of lamb
• 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
• 2-3 tbsp rapeseed oil
• 1 heaped tsp chopped rosemary
• zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 1 tsp sumac
• 1/2 tsp paprika powder
• 1/4 tsp black pepper
• 1 fig, chopped fine

Mix the garlic, oil, rosemary, lemon, chia seeds, salt, sumac, paprika powder and black pepper. Mix and add the chopped fig.

Make incisions in the shoulder of lamb to allow the flavors to penetrate the meat.

Place the lamb in the oven and let it roast until tender.

I roasted potatoes, see recipe here, I brushed the carrots and beetroots. The carrots were so thin I kept them whole but cue the beetroots in to wedges before brushing them with Dried Lime Chilli Oil and giving them a sprinkle of sea salt.

Place the tray under the roasting lamb when two hours of the cooking time remains. If the vegetables are ready before the lamb keep them warm until serving.

The carrot tops looked so delicious I didn’t want to waste them and decided to make a carrot top and chevril chimichurri.

Carrot top & Chevril Chimichurri

preparation time 10 minutes

cooking time 0 minutes

serves 3

Ingredients

• 1 bunch of carrot tops, chopped fine
• 1 bunch of chevril, chopped fine, coriander would also be fine
• 1/2 red onion, chopped fine
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped fine
• 2 red chillies, chopped fine
• 1/2 dl or 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sea salt

Mix the chopped onion, garlic and chillies with the sea salt and red wine vinegar. Mix and let stand for 10 minutes.

Add the carrot tops and chevril, mix everything and leave in the fridge for a few hours or over night before serving.

I let the meat rest and took the roasted vegetables out of the oven. I cut the carrots in half and added feta cheese and the carrot top chimichurri before serving. I served the remainder of the chimichurri on the side.

I served the meal with yogurt on the side. The lamb was soft, the fig was delicious with the roasted garlic, spices and rosemary. The vegetables were just perfect, slightly crispy on the outside and soft on the outside.

The chimichurri had a great flavor and the acidity cut through the rich meat and roasted vegetables.

It wasn’t a traditional roast dinner but it hit all the right notes and it tasted so good I forgot the pouring rain for a while and just enjoyed my dinner.

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Filed under Allotment/Veg, Beetroot, Carrot, Cheese, Chilli, Chilli oil, Feta cheese, Fig, Fruit, Garlic, Herbs, Lamb, Lemon, Main course, Meat, Onion, Recipe, Side dish, Starter · Tagged with Carrot top chimichurri, Chimichurri, Fig Roast Lamb, Heatonomy Chilli Oil, Heatonomy Dried Lime Chilli Oil, roast potatoes, roast vegetables, shoulder of lamb, slow cooked shoulder of lamb