Roast Shoulder Of Lamb With Couscous And Date Stuffing Recipes

ROASTED SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH COUSCOUS AND DATE STUFFING

Steps:

• Put the lamb skin side up in a baking dish or roasting pan, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and roast in an oven preheated to 475°F for 15 minutes. Then lower the heat to 350°F and cook for 3 hours, until the skin is crisp and brown and the meat is juicy and meltingly tender. Pour off the fat after about 2 hours.
• For the stuffing, put the couscous in another baking dish, and add the same volume of warm water, about 1¼ cups, mixed with a little salt, the orange blossom water, and cinnamon. Stir well so that the water is absorbed evenly. After about 10 minutes, add the oil, and rub the couscous between your hands to air it and break up any lumps. Mix in the remaining ingredients, apart from the butter, cover with foil, and put in the oven with the lamb for the last 20 minutes, or until it is steaming hot.
• Before serving, stir in the butter so that it melts in and is absorbed evenly. With a fork, fluff up the couscous stuffing, breaking up any lumps. Add a little salt to taste, if necessary.
• For the garnish, remove the pits from each date and replace them with the blanched almonds. Serve the meat with the couscous stuffing decorated with these dates.

ROAST SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH COUSCOUS-AND-DATE STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 475. Put the lamb, skin side up, in a baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in the oven. Immediately lower the heat to 325 and cook for 4 hours or until the skin is crisp and brown and the meat is moist and meltingly tender. Pour off the fat after about 2 hours and pour in 3/4 cup of water.
• For the stuffing, put the couscous in another baking dish, and add 1 1/4 cups warm water, a little salt, the orange-blossom water and cinnamon. Stir well. After about 10 minutes, pour in the oil, and rub the couscous between your hands to air them and break up any lumps. Mix in the remaining ingredients, except the butter, cover with foil and put in the oven with the lamb for the last 20 minutes or until steaming hot. Before serving, stir in the butter so that it melts and is absorbed evenly. With a fork, fluff up the couscous stuffing, breaking up any lumps. Add a little salt to taste.
• For the garnish, remove the stones from each date and replace them with the blanched almonds. Serve the meat with the couscous stuffing garnished with these dates.

ROAST LAMB STUFFED WITH APRICOT & MINT

Steps:

• Lay the lamb, skin-side down, on a board - if the joint you bought is tied up, then snip the strings and unroll it. Cut several pieces of string long enough to tie around the lamb, then slide them under the joint so they're regularly spaced out. Mix the stuffing ingredients together, and season well. Spread the stuffing out along the middle of the lamb, then fold the meat over to form a roll. Tie the string so the roll stays together, but don't make it too tight or it will cut into the meat. Tie some string lengthways too, if necessary.
• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3. Season the lamb evenly all over. Heat a little oil in a large frying pan, then brown the lamb all over. Start with the side where the seam meets, as this will stop the lamb breaking up when you carve it.
• Tip the veg, garlic and rosemary into a roasting tin and put the lamb on top, seam-side down. Cook the lamb until the core temperature reaches 60C on a meat thermometer - this should take around 1 hr for a 2kg leg. As you rest the lamb, the temperature will continue to rise so don't overcook it.
• Lift the lamb out of the tin and, keeping it warm, rest for up to an hour. Put the roasting tin on the hob. Add the stock, bring to a simmer, then tip the lot into a saucepan, scraping up any bits. Add 500ml water and then simmer again until reduced by half. Pour through a fine sieve and serve with the lamb.

ROASTED SHOULDER OF LAMB

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Push garlic (3 to 4 slivers) into the shoulder of lamb. Cover with sprigs of rosemary, salt and a little olive oil. Roast uncovered for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Remove lamb and leave to rest. Drain off the excess fat. Over the heat, add the flour to the pan of juices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Gradually add red wine or vegetable stock, stir until thick.