I am busy. I did not expect to be this busy. At the minute, I have to finish an eportfolio, fix up my psychiatry public speaking, organise a trip down to waterford to spend an hour in the hospital getting some information, write up a case presentation, and of course I must study!

But yet I am taking time off to write a blog post (because I’m out of eggs and forgot to get treacle, my two baking plans went out the window) but I need a break from schoolwork and evidence based medicine or my head shall explode. And/or melt. So I am going to provide for you a nice recipe for those days you are busy busy busy but still have to have a rather nice dinner doled out.

You may see a pattern here with nice slow roasted throw it in the oven dishes, but that is because they are awesome. I’m also a student and cheap cuts of meat are a god send, because usually with the right cooking they are delicious, and most certainly under utilised. And thus hard to get your hands on! But luckily I have a lovely local butcher who is absolutely amazing and has told me to give him a call and he’ll have it for me the next day. So if you’re looking for a cut you don’t see, do ask your local butcher!

This is also one of my cookalong recipes. The theme was traditional Irish (Yay Irish), and to me that means something that we can make with local produce that isn’t all time consuming, will fill a hungry family, and is affordable but tastes lovely. I think this is one thing that fulfills all of the above! It is remarkably easy and only yummy.

This was made with the last of last years lamb from our farm. I’m really pushing for keeping it as local as possible, and don’t tell anybody, but it MAY be an upcoming cookalongs theme… Shhhhh.

Anywho,

You will need:

• Your choice of cuts of lamb – I used 2 lamb shanks and 2 neck of lamb
• About 4-5 sprigs of rosemary
• An onion
• A head of garlic
• 2 carrots
• about 1 cup of red wine
• Salt & pepper
• Olive oil

1. Season your mear. Let it rest so that it’s at room temperature if you can!
2. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees
3. Get your Le Creuset pot, or hobproof/ovenproof dish, or just a pan! Brown the meat as well as you can, it’s difficult with odd shaped cuts I must say.
4. Take out your meat for just a minute and leave on a plate.
5. Cut your onion in half, give it a rinse under the tap, and pop it in the roasting dish/pot. Do the same with the entire bulb of garlic (yeah baby). Give your carrots a rinse and top and tail them and pop them in too.
6. Rest your meat back on top of all of the bits and pieces
7. Pour over your cup of red wine, and then pour over one cup of water too.
8. Cover it up and put it into the oven. As soon as it goes in, turn the oven down to about 140 degrees.
9. Leave it there for a good 4 if not 6 hours. Give it a check from time to time in case it starts to burn or all of the liquid evaporates. Mine took 5 but my oven runs hot.
10. I served it with creamed mashed potatoes and some steamed carrots that really complimented the natural sweetness of the lamb. It was lovely!

Also, if you have some lovely liquid left over, stir in some cornflour, a splash more red wine, and reduce it to make a beautiful gravy!

I have only one iPhone picture before the vultures got it, before the lamb went in the oven

Take my word for it, it was lovely! Enjooooy!