Slow Cooked Breast of Welsh Lamb

Slow Cooked Breast of Welsh Lamb with Apricots and Cranberry

I quite often buy half a lamb from my local butchers in Denbigh, J. H. Jones.  I have always struggled with the breast of lamb as to what or how to cook this long piece of cheap but bony, fatty unappetizing looking, long, thin piece of cut.

Now I know the answer which is to cook it slow, very slow, with lots of added ingredients to enhance the flavours.

On this occasion I prepared this one Saturday morning and put it in the oven about 10 a.m. on 120C and left it there whilst I went out for a long bike ride.

I, along with the family enjoyed the excellent result with some mashed potatoes later that evening.

Ingredients Serves 4
2 breast of lamb (ask you butcher to prepare the breast if you prefer, a good butcher should remove the bone, skin and excess fat)
5 apricots chopped
5 leaves of fresh sage or 2 tsp of dried
5 leaves of lemon balm (optional, had some in the garden, use rind of half a lemon cut into thin strips)
2 bay leaves
20g cranberries
20g goji berries
Few pinches of salt (Anglesey Sea Salt) and pepper to taste
2 large carrots roughly chopped
2 large potatoes roughly chopped
1 onion sliced
1 tbs flour
1 tbs oil (BlodynAur Welsh Rapeseed Oil) or sunflower oil if not available
1 lamb or chicken stock cube
1 veg stock cube

If your butcher has kindly prepared the breast for you then roll it out onto a wooden block.  

Breast of Welsh Lamb

Start placing the cut apricots onto the breast of lamb

Place apricots onto the lamb

Add the berries, leaves and salt and pepper to taste. 

Cover with Cranberries, goji berries and sage

Once you have added the ingredients, gently roll up the breast of lamb and place two skewers through the meat to hold it in place.

Rolled up breast of Welsh lamb ready for the oven

In a large heavy base casserole pot add the oil and the sliced onions, fry gently for 3 or 4 minutes. Add the flour and stir in.

Roughly cut up the carrots and potatoes and with the lamb place in the casserole pot with the onions. Add the stock cubes and water until it covers the ingredients.  Place covered in a pre-heated oven at 120C for 6 to 7 hours. Check occasionally and top up with water if required.  When ready to eat remove the ingredients and place in a serving dish and keep warm.
Place the casserole dish on a high heat and reduce the liqueur until you have a thick sauce.  Pour over the lamb.
The lamb should be tender and falling apart ready to eat.  Just add some mashed potatoes for this excellent flavoursome dish.