- 1½kg lamb shoulder, boned and rolled
- 1½ star anise
- 1½ tsp chilli flakes (more or less, to taste)
- Sea salt
- 1.
Heat your oven to 220°C/Fan 200°C/Gas 7. Unwrap your meat. Pat it dry and put it in a roasting tin. Let it get up to room temperature.
- 2.
Finely grind your star anise using a spice or coffee grinder or a pestle and mortar. Alternatively, pound it in a metal bowl with the bottom of a jam jar.
- 3.
Mix the star anise with the chilli flakes. Use a pinch for milder heat or more than 1 tsp for a good kick.
- 4.
Massage the spices all over the lamb. Tuck some into the little grooves where the meat has been rolled, too, if you can. Dust a little sea salt and pepper over the top, then drizzle with the olive oil.
- 5.
Once the meat is at room temperature, slide into the centre of the oven. Roast for 20 mins.
- 6.
Lower the heat to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Roast for a further 45 mins. Set the lamb aside to rest for at least 30 mins before carving.
- 7.
The meat will be a little pink in the centre. If you like well-done lamb, arrange carved slices in a baking dish, slightly overlapping. Pour some of the pan juices over. Cover with foil. Cook in the oven for 10-15 mins or till the meat is done to your liking.
- 8.
The pan juices are stunning on their own – simply drizzle over the carved meat. If you want a proper gravy, sizzle 4 tbsp of the pan juices with 250 ml red wine and 1 tsp honey till rich and flavourful, adding more wine, honey or pan juices as you fancy.
