This recipe was discovered when I bought some lamb shoulder roast from the fine folks at Wild Mountain Ranch in Pine (if you haven’t checked them out, you should). I took a photo of it about to go in the oven, but it was so good when it came out that we dove right in and I only managed to get a pic of the aftermath.
Slow Roasted Rosemary Garlic Lamb Shoulder
(recipe from Tin Eats)
3.5 lb lamb shoulder (bone-in)
2 Tbs 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, peeled and slivered
8 sprigs rosemary
1 C water
Preheat the oven to 465 degrees F. Rub the lamb with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Using a thin, sharp knife, make 12 incisions in the lamb, deep as you can but without piercing all the way through. Stuff bits of rosemary and garlic slivers into the slits (chopsticks can be helpful here).
Place the onion quarters, halved garlic head and additional rosemary in the base of a roasting pan. Place the lamb on top, pour water around. Cover with a lid or a tightly with a double layer of foil. Place in the oven and turn the temp down to 350 degrees F. Roast, covered, for 3 hours.
Remove lid/foil, check that there is still liquid in the bottom of the pan. If not, add ¾ C water. Turn the oven up to 425 degrees F and roast another 20-30 minutes to brown. Check for tenderness, you should be able to pull the meat apart with two forks. If not, cover again, reduce temp back to 350, and roast until you can do so.
Remove lamb from pan and transfer to a serving plate. Cover loosely with foil and then a couple of tea towels and let rest for at least 20 minutes.
Note: you can use the pan drippings to make gravy with flour, stock, maybe a bit of wine, and mash up the onions and garlic. Strain before serving
