This recipe will take you minutes to prepare and then you can just leave this to do its thing until you uncover melting, tender lamb with sweet, caramelised onions, slow-cooked to perfection. It will also wait patiently for you to finish your Seder without drying out.

Serves: 8

Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 4 – 5 hours

Ingredients:

2kg lamb shoulder

1 whole garlic head plus 6 cloves cut in small pieces

3 x echalion/banana shallots sliced

6 x small round shallots peeled and left whole

3 bay leaves

3 rosemary stalks

2 curly parsley stalks

2 thyme stalks

6 tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper

Method:

• Heat your oven to 175°C (fan).
• In a large oven dish, lay two large pieces of aluminium foil perpendicular to one another so that they cover the dish and will also cover the whole lamb shoulder.
• Line the foil with baking parchment.
• Place the lamb shoulder, sliced and whole shallots, parsley, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary in the lined dish.
• Add the olive oil, salt, pepper and pour 200ml of water into the tray.
• Cover the lamb with baking paper then fold over the excess aluminium so it is well wrapped with no room for steam to escape. Add another sheet of foil if necessary as it needs to be well sealed. 
• Place in the oven for 4 - 5 hours. It will be ready when melting and tender and comes away from the bone easily. Start checking after 4 hours but remember to rewrap it well if you need to cook it longer.
• When it is ready you can leave it covered for 30 minutes at 175°C before you serve it.
• To get ahead, you can completely prepare the lamb in advance then cool and refrigerate/freeze it. If you do this, defrost and bring it back to room temperature before reheating (well covered) with foil for 30 mins at 175°C.
• Delicious with roasted potatoes or sweet potatoes and a crisp, green salad.

Instagram: Fabienne Viner-Luzzato