Start with a 6.5-lb bone-in lamb shoulder. I bought this one the day before at Esposito's on 9th St in Philadelphia.
Boning it is reasonably easy, and takes but a few minutes. That terrific bone can be roasted, too, and used for stock. Which is exactly what I did.
I made paste of parsley, thyme, rosemary, garlic in the mini-food processor.
Seasoned the open side of the roast well with salt and pepper. Spread the herb and garlic paste all over.
Roll it, then tie it up with butcher's twine.
A beautiful roast, ready for the oven. By the time I've boned it, seasoned it, rolled it, and tied it, it's at room temperature, which is ideal.
Into a covered roaster, filmed with some oil. Into a 425°F oven for 30 minutes, fat side up -- UNCOVERED. After the initial high heat, I pulled the roaster from the oven, removed the roast, and covered the bottom of the roaster with quartered onions, carrots, and potatoes. I returned the roast to the pan, covered it, and put it back into the oven, which had been lowered to 350°F.
An additional hour at 350°F, and it was done, reading about 140°F on the instant-read thermometer. Dang, that looks good.
I let it rest while I made gravy, then cut the twine, and sliced it into beautiful, pink slices, serving the quartered onions, carrots, and potatoes on the side.
The meal started with spaghetti with asparagus, a springtime favorite.
Dave, that was incredible. That was the perfect meal.
ReplyDeleteLarry