Roast Shoulder of Lamb With a Crushed swede and Parsnip Crumble

Sunday again , and as always it's another roast dinner. Today we have a shoulder of Lamb. But it was too big to go in the slow cooker so I decided to use the oven. To go with it I will do roast potatoes and carrots, with a crushed swede and parsnip crumble.

Preparation time: 1 hour
Cooking time:  2hour 30minutes
Total time: up to 3 hours.
Serves 4
Level : medium/hard

For the Shoulder of Lamb

Ingredients

1 shoulder of lamb (2 kilos)
Rosemary
oil
seasoning
a bulb of garlic
Dried oregano


Score the lamb with a sharp knife and cover in some oil.  Put on the baking dish . shake some oregano on top and season. Put the rosemary and garlic on top of it. And cook in the oven for about 2hours 30 minutes.

For the crushed swede and parsnip crumble

Ingredients

1 medium swede
4 parsnips
8 rashers of pancetta
Seasoning
Oil
Thyme
4 tbs maple syrup
Bbreadcrumbs
2 cloves of garlic
A good grate of Parmesan
A pinch of nutmeg

For the cheese sauce

 25g butter
25g plain flour
425ml milk
150g of cheddar cheese

In the mean time you can prepare your vegetables. I started with the crushed swede . Peel your parsnips and swede and boil them until soft enough to mash.

For the cheese sauce.
Melt the butter in the pan and add the flour to it.( you want to use the same amount of butter and flour, like this it won't be lumpy) Gradually start adding the milk and keep stirring . On a moderate heat. When thick enough add a pinch of nutmeg and the cheese, keep on a low heat and check if it tastes cheesy enough. Set aside for a little while, so you can mash up the vegetables .

Take the vegetables and drain. Mash them up. Add the maple syrup and crushed garlic. Now it's time to add the pancetta or streaky bacon. (fry it a bit before , so that's it a little crispy) You might want to cot each strip in thirds. Mix everything with the cheese. Put in a baking dish.
Now for the topping. In a small bowl add some oil , thyme and breadcrumbs. Mix well and top on your bake. sprinkle some Parmesan , and it would do with a few of butter knobs. Bake in a preheated oven 180 degrees for 40 minutes .

For the Gravy

Ingredients

1 tbsp of red wine vinegar
500ml of chicken stock
1 tbsp of plain flour


Take the lamb out of the oven and leave to rest on a wooden chopping bored , cover with some foil so that it stays warm.
Get the baking tray you had the lamb in, take away the rosemary stalk and pour half the fat away. Put it on the hob , add a tablespoon of plain flour to it and 500ml of warm chicken stock. Bring to  boil and leave to simmer until nice and thick.
Serve in a gravy bowl.

Dish up all your dinner in plates. Or maybe in the middle of the table of the others to help themselves
 Serve with roast potatoes ,roast carrots and some steamed broccoli. Maybe Yorkshire puddings!