The other day, I was at my grocery store and I saw they had lamb shoulder. They don’t normally carry it, and since I had asked them about carrying it a couple of times, I felt compelled to buy one. I’d never had lamb shoulder before, but had read that it was a very flavorful cut of meat.
I went to the internet to search for a recipe I that sounded good. One popped up from the blog chocolate and zucchini. I’ve made quite a few things from both her blog and book, and have loved every one. The recipe I chose to make was called “Slow-Roasted Shoulder of Lamb Rubbed with Rosemary, Anchovy, and Lemon Zest”.
This recipe was extremely flavorful. The lemon and rosemary were the predominant flavors, but not overwhelming. My problem wasn’t with the recipe, but with the cut of meat. Since I’ve never had it before, I’m not sure if it was just my piece or if it’s always like that. But there was so much fat. Out of a 5 lb shoulder, I got only enough meat for maybe 4 or 5 servings. And the worst part of it was that the meat was in layers throughout the meat. Not marbeling. Large, thick layers I didn’t want to eat. So while I would definately use this recipe again, personally I’d put it on a nice boneless leg of lamb.

Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Rosemary & Lemon
Recipe adapted from Chocolate & Zucchini blog
Rub:
1 very large sprig fresh rosemary
1 lemon
6 anchovy fillets
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 teaspoons whole mustard seeds
Black pepper
Salt
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
2 teaspoons olive oil
Meat:
5 lbs bone-in shoulder of lamb
8 small tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, still in skin
Remove needles from rosemary and discard the stem. Peel the zest from the lemon using a vegetable peeler
In a mini-chopper, combine the rosemary, lemon zest, anchovies, peeled garlic, mustard seeds, pepper, salt, vineger, and oil. Pulse until mixture is a coarse paste.
Place the meat in a baking dish, and rub the paste all over the meat. Cover with plastic wrap and let set in the refrigerator at least one hour, and preferably for 3-4 hours.
Remove the meat from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking to allow it to come back to room temperature. Preheat over to 430 degrees F. Remove the plastic wrap from the baking dish. Place the tomatoes and garlic cloves in the baking dish, pushing them part-way under the meat.
Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 270 degrees F and cook for another 2 1/2 hours. If your meat begins to dry out or the tomatoes begin to burn, add a little water to the bottom of the pan and cover loosely with foil if needed.
When done, let rest, covered with foil for 5-10 minutes. Carve and serve.