Braised Lamb Shoulder Roast with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Onion Gravy
The Lamb Shoulder is a hard to find cut of lamb, but the recipe would work equally well for Leg of Lamb or Lamb Shank.
The inspiration for this dish came first because I happened to have a lamb shoulder roast in the freezer. A local tradesman with whom we do business from time to time butchers and sells lambs that he raises locally on a farm. Because he raises them naturally and on a natural diet, he guarantees that his lamb won't have that "gamey" flavor that some people find off-putting. I don't happen to be one of those people - I love the taste of lamb - but nevertheless, one doesn't see lamb shoulder roasts very often in these parts, so I was happy to find my second inspiration for this dish on the Diethood website.
However, the author of that site doesn't understand the difference between the cooking terminology of "roasted" and "braised" and named the recipe "Juicy Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder." Aside from the fact that I think it’s silly to put adjectives like “juicy” in a recipe title, the author’s method of cooking the shoulder is braising, not roasting. Roasting would not be suitable for a shoulder roast, similar to a pork shoulder, or Boston Butt, which also requires braising.
The Secret Ingredient
You will need a quality mint sauce for this recipe. I suppose one could use fresh mint, but I didn’t experiment with it. Coleman’s - the same food company that makes that indispensable powdered English mustard no pantry should be without - makes a premium mint sauce made with fresh mint grown in Norfolk, England that contains only mint, vinegar, sugar, water and salt. It is a popular condiment for lamb in the UK.
An Important Tool for the Gravy
There is no easier gravy than to use your braising liquid and all the delicious flavors that came from the meat; and there is no easier way to make gravy that by using a submersion blender. It’s an indispensable kitchen tool used in many braised meat recipes on Kitchen Tapestry.
Braised Lamb Shoulder Roast with Sun Dried Tomatoes & Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- 4-5 lb lamb shoulder roast
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 4 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (like, Kikkoman Less Sodium)
- 4 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 6.7-oz jar sun-dried tomatoes packed in olive oil (like, Delallo)
- 1/3 cup dried parsley
- 2 small or 1 large sweet onion, sliced into rings (like Vidalia or Texas-1015)
- 3 tbsp mint sauce (like Coleman's Norfolk Mint Sauce)
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 1 cup beef stock (like Swanson's or Kitchen Basics)
- 1 tsp fine sea salt
- 10-12 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Put the Worcestershire Sauce, vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, garlic, sun dried tomatoes (including the olive oil), the parsley, salt and pepper in a food processor. Add just a splash of beef stock, then pulse until a chunky paste is formed.
- Place the onion rings in the bottom of a Dutch oven, then place the lamb fat side up on top of the onions.
- Add the red wine and beef stock to the pot.
- Pour the sun-dried tomato paste mixture over the top of the lamb.
- Put the lid on the Dutch oven and place in on the middle rack of the oven.
- Cook for 3-1/2 hours for a two pound roast. Add 20 minutes for each pound thereafter.
- When the roast has finished cooking, remove it from the braising liquid to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes while you finish the gravy.
- Using a submersion blender, blend all the cooked onions in the braising liquid until a thick gravy is formed. Check for seasoning and add fine sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper as needed.
- Slice the lamb off the bone and ladle the gravy over the lamb. Serve over potatoes, rice, noodles, with polenta or along side corn bread stuffing.
