Printable Recipe: Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Mint-Caper Sauce Recipe

Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Mint-Caper Sauce

This Easter lamb recipe, which is based off of one created by Jamie Oliver, is so succulent, tender, flavorful and delicious you'll want to make it every Sunday for months on end. It really is that good. The slow roasting makes it enormously tender... it falls right off the bone. Oh, and as a huge bonus... it's SUPER easy. Just let it sit in the oven all morning.

I love the recipe for the Mint Caper sauce that goes along with this, but the lamb is so good you can skip it if you want to.

This traditional Easter dinner recipe serves about 6. When you get the lamb from the butcher, ask him or her to score between the bones for you to allow for more even cooking.

Ingredients:
1 (4 lbs.) lamb shoulder, bone in
1 lg. bunch fresh rosemary
2 head of garlic, cloves separated but unpeeled
Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
Coarse salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Mint Sauce:
1 tbsp. flour
2 C. chicken broth (good quality)
2 tbsp. capers, chopped
1 lg. bunch mint leaves, stems removed, minced
2 tbsp. red wine vinegar

Ingredients: 1. Preheat the oven to 450-500 degrees F. You want it very hot!

2. Pour about 1/4 C. of olive oil into the bottom of a roasting pan. Lay down a bed of rosemary sprigs-- about half of what you have. Sprinkle about half of your garlic cloves over top of the rosemary.

3. Prepare the lamb by scoring the fat with a knife. You'll want to create a diamond pattern, scoring at 1" intervals in one direction, and then 1" intervals in the other.

4. Rub lamb with about 2 tbsp olive oil (or more if you like), sprinkle with salt and pepper (use plenty), and rub into the lamb. Place lamb in roasting pan on top of the rosemary bed.

5. Sprinkle the rest of your sprigs of rosemary and unpeeled garlic cloves on top of the lamb.

6. Cover the lamb very tightly and place in your hot oven. Right after the lamb goes in, reduce your oven temperature to 325 degrees F.

7. Roast for four hours. Separate the meat from the bones --it should just fall right off!-- and set aside. Keep warm.

8. Pop the garlic cloves out of their skins into in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Set aside. Discard rosemary sprigs.

9. To make the sauce, reserve about a tablespoon of fat in the bottom of the roasting pan, along with any lean pan juices (I use a gravy separator.) Stir in mashed garlic.

10. Heat pan on medium heat until bubbling. Stir in flour until well mixed. Gradually whisk in chicken broth.

11. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer about 5 minutes. It's a thin-ish sauce, so don't expect it to thicken too much. Stir in mint, capers, and vinegar. Allow to come back to a boil and simmer about 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Serve with your Easter lamb.