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1
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees F.
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2
On the stovetop, brown the lamp, fat-side down, in a large roasting pan.
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3
Remove when nicely browned across its middle (you won't get much more than this) and set aside while you fry the shallots, garlic and carrot briefly.
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4
Just tip them into the pan - you won't need to add any more fat - and cook them, sprinkled with the 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 boil, 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 325 degrees F and give it 5 hours or so.
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11
The point is to find a way of cooking that suits you: you know what sort of pottering relaxes you and what makes you feel constrained; how much time you've got, and how you want to use it.
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12
Don't let the food, the kitchen or the imagined expectations of other people bully you.
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13
With the homily over, about 1 hour before you want to eat, remove the lamb from the pan 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 a the touch of a fork.
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14
This is the best way to deal with shoulder of lamb: it's cheaper than leg, and the flavor it deeper, better, truer, but even good carvers, which I most definitely am not, can get unstuck trying to slice it.
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15
To finish the lamb salad, simply pull it into pieces with a couple of forks on a large plate.
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16
Sprinkle with more sea salt and some freshly chopped mint, then cut the pomegranate in 1/2 and dot with the seeds from 1 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 jeweled pips with a safety pin ever again.
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18
Simply hold the pomegranate 1/2 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 glassy red, juicy beads will start raining down.
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21
Take the other 1/2 and squeeze the preposterously pink juices over the warm shredded meat.
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22
Take to the table and serve.
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23
What I do with the leftovers is warm a pita bread in the microwave, and then spread it with a greedy dollop of hummus, then take the chill off the refrigerated lamb in the microwave and stuff the already gooey pita with it.
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24
Add freshly chopped mint, black pepper and whatever else you like; raw, finely chopped red onion goes dangerously well.
