Whole Roast Gulf Coast Lamb

By norsegal8

This roast lamb will take a little bit of love, but it sure gives back. The idea is to braise the shoulder or shanks first, then stuff the braised lamb into a raw, butterflied leg of lamb and roast that. Once it is stuffed, make sure to truss the roast really well with kitchen string and roast it immediately.

Ingredients

• FOR THE LAMB STUFFING:
• 2 pounds lamb shoulder or shanks
• salt
• pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 tomatoes, peeled and diced or 1 cup canned diced tomatoes
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 cups chicken stock
• FOR THE LEG OF LAMB:
• 1 5-lb. deboned and butterflied leg of lamb
• salt
• pepper
• 4 cloves garlic, sliced
• 2 branches fresh rosemary, divided into small sprigs

Details

Servings 6

Preparation

Step 1

1. For the lamb stuffing, season the lamb shoulder or shanks with salt, pepper, thyme and pepper flakes. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy pot over high heat and sear the lamb on all sides until browned all over.

2. Add the onions to the pot, reduce the heat to moderate, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, rosemary and chicken stock. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook until the stock comes to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and cook until the meat is fork tender and falling off the bone, about 1 1/2 hours.

3. Transfer the meat from the broth to a platter (set the broth aside for later); season with salt and pepper. Set the meat aside and let cool to room temperature.

4. For the leg of lamb, preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Lay out the leg of lamb, skin side down, on a cutting board and season with salt and pepper.

5. Remove the slow-cooked meat from the bones and arrange it in the center of the leg of lamb (parallel to the short sides). Discard the bones. Beginning with the short side, roll the lamb around the slow-cooked meat, jelly roll fashion, and tieit securely with kitchen string.

6. Using a paring knife, make small incisions in the tied-up roast. Stuff a slice of garlic or a sprig of rosemary into each slit and season the roast with salt and pepper. Put the lamb in a roasting pan and roast until the internal temperature is 130 degrees, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes.

7. While the lamb rests, reduce the broth of the slow-cooked meat by half over medium-high heat. Strain and serve over slices of the stuffed leg of lamb.