Roast Lamb

Tired of serving spiral ham for all of your holiday dinners? Roast lamb is the perfect spring centerpiece that is not only impressive, but surprisingly easy to make at home. If you’re intimidated by the thought of roasting a lamb shoulder, we promise: it’s just as easy (if not easier) than roasting a chicken. All it takes is rubbing  your roast with a mixture of fresh herbs, garlic, and olive oil, and throwing it in the oven for an hour or so to create a wow-worthy centerpiece to your Easter dinner. Plus, our recipe comes complete with roasted potatoes, so you can prep one less Easter side this year—it’s a win, win all around. 

The rub.
We use a simple but fresh garlic-rosemary-thyme combination, but if you want to mix it up, you could also try chopped oregano, mint, or basil. You could even throw some spices in, such as some chili flakes or ground coriander. However you choose to season is up to you, but we do recommend being generous.

How to roast a lamb:
While it may seem daunting, it’s as simple as four steps: rub your roast with the herby mixture, throw it in the oven for an hour or so, let it rest, and serve. Our 2-lb. boneless lamb shoulder was done after 1 hr in a 450º oven, but the best way to check when your lamb is done is to use a meat thermometer. You’re looking for an internal temperature of 145º, so if you’re lamb isn’t at that temp. yet after an hour, keep roasting until it is!

Tying with twine.
Tying a roast might sound difficult, but trust us: it’s not. Your goal is to get the lamb shoulder to be a uniform shape and size (as much as possible, at least) so that it cooks evenly. Start by holding the lamb shoulder with the short end closest to you. Wrap the twine around the entire piece once lengthwise, then twist the twine 90 degrees so it is now running perpendicular to the length of twine you just wrapped. Continue wrapping the twine around the lamb, working your way down the length of the lamb and keeping the twine perpendicular to that first length of twine that you wrapped. When you reach the bottom, tie it off and cut away the excess twine. 

If you’re having trouble visualizing, check out the picture below the recipe—but don’t worry if you can’t get your twine to look exactly like that. As long as your roast is held together in a relatively neat bundle of even thickness, you’ll be just fine.

Do I have to let the lamb rest before I serve it?
Yes. The resting time makes a HUGE difference in how juicy and delicious your lamb is. Why? When the lamb is cooking, all the juices inside the meat start to flow. When you take the lamb out of the oven, you need to give those juices a chance to settle. If you cut into the roast too early, those juices will flow out onto your cutting board, leaving you with a dry hunk of meat. (emoji)

Made this? Let us know how it went in the comments below!