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1
Preheat the oven to 140C/ gas mark 1.
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2
On the hob, brown the lamb, fat side down, in a large roasting tin.
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3
Remove when nicely browned in the middle (you won't get much more than this) and set aside while you fry the vegetables briefly.
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Just tip them into the pan - you won't need to add any more fat - and cook them, sprinkled with salt, gently for a couple of minutes.
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5
Pour the water over and then replace the lamb, this time fat side up.
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6
Let the liquid in the pan come to a bubble, then tent with foil and put in the preheated oven.
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7
Now just leave it there while you sleep.
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8
I find that if I put the lamb in before I go to bed, it's perfect by lunchtime the next day.
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9
But the point is, at this temperature, nothing's going to go wrong with the lamb if you cook it for a little less or a little more.
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10
If you want to cook the lamb the day you're going to eat it, heat the oven to 170C/ gas mark 3 and give it 5 hours or so.
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11
The point is to find a way of cooking that suits you.
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About an hour before you want to eat, remove the lamb from the tin to a large plate or carving board; not that it needs carving: the deal here is that it's unfashionably overcooked, falling to tender shreds at the touch of a fork.
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13
This is the best way to deal with shoulder of lamb: it's cheaper than leg, and the flavour is deeper, better, truer, but even good carvers, which I most definitely am not, can get unstuck trying to slice it.
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14
I get on with the vegetables while the lamb's sitting meekly, but you could equally well have done this earlier.
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15
But to finish the lamb salad, simply pull it to pieces with a couple forks on a large plate.
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16
Sprinkle with more salt and some freshly chopped mint, then cut the pomegranate in half and dot with the seeds from one of the halves.
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17
This is easily done; there's a simple trick, which means you never have to think of winkling out the jewelled pips with a safety pin ever again.
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Simply hold the pomegranate half above the plate, take a wooden spoon and start bashing the curved skin side with it.
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Nothing will happen for a few seconds, but have faith.
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20
In a short while the red glassy, juicy beads will start raining down.
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21
Take the other half and squeeze the preposterously pink juices over the warm shredded meat.
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22
Take to the table and serve.
