Recipe: Roast lamb, salsa verde: A school holiday winter feast with leftovers for sandwiches

Head chef at Park Hyatt Onemata shares a recipe from his newly-minted winter menu.

Winter can be hard. Winter cooking should not be. Park Hyatt Onemata head chef Rob Hope-Ede shares a perfect recipe fresh from his winter menu.

Creating a seasonal menu is always exciting but for Onemata head chef Rob Hope-Ede, the winter menu is particularly satisfying. "We want warmth and low, slow comfort food that fills the house with incredible aromas," he says.

This salsa verde shoulder of lamb recipe pays homage to a New Zealand classic, but with a twist - the sharp, acidic flavours of the salsa verde offsets the juicy, fatty lamb - a perfect partnership. The bonus of this dish, says Hope-Ede, is that it's great for sandwiches the next day (that's if there is any left).

And a tip for the home cook: "Don't be afraid of the anchovies in the salsa verde," he says. "They are the secret ingredient that adds another layer of flavour without being overpowering, taking this salsa verde to the next level."

Roast lamb shoulder with salsa verde

Mint & caper salsa verde

1 garlic clove, finely chopped
2 shallots, finely diced
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 Tbsp brined capers, finely chopped
3 white anchovy fillets, mashed to a paste with the back of a knife
2 cups finely chopped mint leaves
1 cup finely chopped Italian parsley
½ cup of extra virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Zest of half a lemon.

Place all ingredients into a bowl and whisk to combine. Best made at least 1 hour before serving, to allow all the flavours to combine.

Slow-roasted oyster-cut lamb shoulder

1 onion, thinly sliced
1 carrot peel cut in half and thinly sliced
2 sticks of celery thinly sliced
1 oyster-cut lamb shoulder (1.2kg to 1.4kg in weight) (we use Lumina, available from puresouthshop.co.nz)
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp flaky salt
1 bulb of New Zealand garlic, cut in half
4 stalks thyme
1 cup red wine
2 cups beef stock (or two cups of Simon Gault's lamb stock)

Method

Pre-heat the oven to 160C.

Heat half of the oil in a large oven-proof saucepan, add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes or until softened. Remove the vegetables and set aside.

Coat the lamb shoulder with the remaining oil and salt and add to the saucepan. Cook for 3-4 minutes on each side until evenly browned.

Return the cooked vegetables to the pan with the garlic, thyme, wine and stock. Cover the pan and transfer to the oven. Cook for 3 hours or until tender, stirring halfway through.

Once the lamb is cooked, remove from the pan and serve on a chopping board, smothered with the salsa verde.

The cooking liquid can be reduced and blended and served as a gravy on the side if desired.