Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder
My family LOVES to eat lamb...in every recipe we've tried. I'm so thankful, because the first five years of my life were spent in New Zealand, where lamb is the cheapest meat around in the grocery stores or meat markets.
Here's a new lamb recipe we tried recently and enJOYed!
Slow-Roasted Shoulder of Lamb
Preheat your oven as hot as it will go. While it preheats, use a sharp knife to slash through the fat layer of the lamb at about 1” intervals; then, do the same thing in the opposite direction so it forms a diamond pattern.
Pour a little olive oil into the base of a high-sided (2-3” deep) roasting pan and add half of the rosemary sprigs to the olive oil. Scatter half of the unpeeled garlic cloves (or minced garlic) over the oil and rosemary. Place the lamb roast on top of the rosemary. Coat the lamb with olive oil and rub it in with your hands. Sprinkle the roast with sea salt and black pepper. Rub it into the lamb.
Push garlic cloves or minced garlic into the slits you made earlier with the sharp knife. Scatter the rest of the rosemary on top of the lamb. Cover the roasting pan tightly with its lid or with several layers of aluminum foil to make sure that it is tightly covered. Place the roasting pan on the center rack of the pre-heated oven.
Immediately turn the heat down to 325 degrees (170 C) or slightly lower if you are using a convection oven. Cook for four hours (or 2 hours if half-sized roast) or until meat is at the temperature or level of doneness that you prefer.
When the lamb has cooked, the large bone will simply pull away clean from the meat. Separate the meat from any bones, and set the meat aside on a serving platter or plate. Cover cooked meat with foil to keep it warm before serving.
Here's a new lamb recipe we tried recently and enJOYed!
Slow-Roasted Shoulder of Lamb
- 4.5 lb. lamb shoulder, bone in (or 2 lb. roast, cooked half as long)
- 1 large or 2 small bunches fresh rosemary
- 1 bulb of garlic
- olive oil
- sea salt, crushed
- black pepper, freshly ground
Preheat your oven as hot as it will go. While it preheats, use a sharp knife to slash through the fat layer of the lamb at about 1” intervals; then, do the same thing in the opposite direction so it forms a diamond pattern.
Pour a little olive oil into the base of a high-sided (2-3” deep) roasting pan and add half of the rosemary sprigs to the olive oil. Scatter half of the unpeeled garlic cloves (or minced garlic) over the oil and rosemary. Place the lamb roast on top of the rosemary. Coat the lamb with olive oil and rub it in with your hands. Sprinkle the roast with sea salt and black pepper. Rub it into the lamb.
Push garlic cloves or minced garlic into the slits you made earlier with the sharp knife. Scatter the rest of the rosemary on top of the lamb. Cover the roasting pan tightly with its lid or with several layers of aluminum foil to make sure that it is tightly covered. Place the roasting pan on the center rack of the pre-heated oven.
Immediately turn the heat down to 325 degrees (170 C) or slightly lower if you are using a convection oven. Cook for four hours (or 2 hours if half-sized roast) or until meat is at the temperature or level of doneness that you prefer.
When the lamb has cooked, the large bone will simply pull away clean from the meat. Separate the meat from any bones, and set the meat aside on a serving platter or plate. Cover cooked meat with foil to keep it warm before serving.
