Cookery: Braised shoulder of lamb, roasted parsnips and confit potatoes.

Like many folk, I enjoy a leg of roasted lamb for Sunday lunch, ideally with fluffy roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables and a generous spoonful of mint sauce. While leg is a popular choice, shoulder of lamb is equally tasty. Instead of roasting I prefer to braise it slowly in a large casserole dish with an aromatic stock. Slow cooking transforms this succulent, slightly fatty joint into a moist, tender, melting mass of flavour. You can, of course, roast the shoulder slowly but braising it yields such a rich sauce I can't recommend it highly enough.

BRAISED SHOULDER OF LAMB, ROASTED PARSNIPS AND CONFIT POTATOES

Serves 4

BRAISED SHOULDER OF LAMB

2 carrots

1 large onion

2 celery sticks

1 bulb of garlic

50ml olive oil

1 shoulder of lamb

200ml white wine

1l chicken stock

2 tomatoes

2 sprigs of rosemary

ROASTED PARSNIPS

4 parsnips

150g unsalted butter

CONFIT POTATOES

200g baby potatoes

500ml duck fat

1 sprig of thyme

Set the oven to 180C/gas mark 4. Dice the carrots, onion and celery and cut the bulb of garlic in half.

Heat a large casserole dish with the oil in it. Season the shoulder of lamb with salt and brown it on all sides in the dish, then remove it and set it aside.

Keep the casserole dish on the heat and add the vegetables, cooking them until golden brown. Add the wine, reduce it by half, then add the stock and tomatoes and bring to the boil.

Place the lamb back in the casserole dish, cover it and put the dish in the oven for about 3.5 hours.

Now prepare the side dishes. Peel and cut the parsnips into 4cm-long wedges. Heat half the butter in a small pan until it starts to foam then add the parsnips, seasoning them with salt as they cook. Cook the parsnips on the heat until they are light golden brown then add the rest of the butter and place in the oven for 10 minutes, checking frequently, until cooked through.

Peel the potatoes and add them to a pan with the duck fat and thyme. Bring the pan to a light simmer before turning the heat down and cooking for about 30 minutes until tender.

To finish the lamb, take the casserole out of the oven and carefully remove the shoulder, wrapping it in foil to keep it warm. Strain the juices from the casserole and place them into a saucepan with the rosemary. Put the pan on a high heat and reduce the liquid by half until thickened. Pass the sauce through a fine sieve and serve with the lamb, parsnips and potatoes.

WINE MATCH

2003 Margaux, Chateau Des Trois Chardons, Bordeaux, Raeburn Fine Wines, £25

This blend of cabernet sauvignon and merlot has a rich flavour of black fruit, followed by a light pepperiness.

Martin Wishart runs The Honours, 58a North Castle Street, Edinburgh. Visit www.thehonours.co.uk or call 0131 220 2513.