The winter holidays are a great time for lamb, and there are a variety of lamb cuts available from CATHIS Farm at the market for the first time of the season! This recipe for roasted lamb shoulder with gravy will go great with roasted potatoes or your favorite roasted veggie medley!
For the Lamb Shoulder:
- 3.5 lb lamb shoulder (bone in)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 onion, quartered (no need to peel)
- 1 head garlic , cut in half horizontally
- 3 garlic cloves, cut into slivers
- 8 sprigs rosemary
- 1 cup water
For the Gravy:
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 cups beef broth (or 1 cup red wine + 1 cup water)
- Salt and pepper
Shoulder
Preheat oven to 240°C/465°F (220°C fan forced). Rub the lamb with the olive oil, salt and pepper.
Use a thin, sharp knife to make 12 incisions in the lamb, deep as you can but without piercing through the bottom of the lamb.
Stuff bits of rosemary and garlic slivers into the holes. Chopsticks can be useful for this step.
Place the onion, halved garlic bulb and rosemary in the base of a roasting pan. Place the lamb on top and pour water around.
Cover with lid or tightly with a double layer of foil. Place in the oven, and TURN DOWN to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
Roast, covered, for 3 hours. Remove foil, turn up the oven to 220°C/425°F and roast for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the skin is browned and crisp. By now, you should be able to part the meat with two forks.
Remove lamb from the roasting pan and transfer to a plate. Cover loosely with foil then a couple of tea towels and let it rest for at least 20 minutes, up to a couple of hours (after this, you may want to reheat). Serve with gravy (recipe below).
Gravy
Tilt the pan and use a spoon to remove all but around 2 tbsp of fat (try to avoid scooping out any juices).
Place the roasting pan on the stove over medium high heat. Add the flour and stir to mix in with the fat. Cook for 30 seconds.
Add the stock gradually and stir to combine. Use a potato masher to mash the onion and garlic, making sure that all the garlic squeezes out of the skin.
Allow it to simmer for 1 to 2 minutes until it is just before your desired consistency (it will thicken a bit as it cools), then remove from the stove.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, strain into bowl being sure to squeeze all juices out of garlic etc, then transfer into gravy jug.
Recipe from recipetineats
