Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder Pizza with Herbs and Mint Sauce

There are some flavour combinations that are quintessentially British, and for Cornwall-based home cook and baker, Grant Batty (@grantbatty), roast lamb with mint sauce is one of them. Whether served as part of a traditional Sunday lunch or has a sumptuous dinner, using seasonal lamb is a food highlight of the year. Add to that a rich tomato sauce, fresh herbs and a super fresh and zingy mint sauce, and it’s like having a taste of Easter in every bite.

Like other cuts popular for slow cooking, lamb shoulder has lots of connective tissue and fats, so it can be tough unless it's cooked for a long time. Once it's been given that slow-and-low love, it becomes mouth-meltingly tender. Three to five hours should result in luscious, juicy meat that pulls apart easily without much effort. If you can’t find lamb shoulder, lamb leg, veal shank, oxtail, or short ribs would also be delicious.

One thing Grant loves about this mint sauce recipe is that it’s affordable and super easy to make at home. Wild mint is the perfect addition, but you if don’t happen to live near any, you can find fresh mint year-round at your local supermarket.

This pizza is great for using up Easter leftovers, date nights and celebrating – whether it’s the start of autumn, a birthday, or just trying something new. 

Slow-Cooked Lamb Shoulder Pizza with Herbs and Mint Sauce

Note

This recipe suits a variety of pizza styles, but we think our neo-Neapolitan or classic pizza dough works well – just be sure to set aside 3 to 4 hours for prep and proofing. Grant also recommends making the lamb a day in advance of cooking your pizza. This allows enough time to slow cook the lamb shoulder (about 4 hours) and time to cool before shredding the meat (another 1 to 2 hours).