I love Sunday roasts and for a Greek family, roast lamb is often the meat of choice. Try and choose a local, young lamb and in this instance, a shoulder cut. Shoulder cut (bone in) is an easy and very flavourful part of the lamb.

You’ll love this full proof, easy method to roasting lamb.

Roast Lamb Shoulder and  Potatoes

(serves 4)

approx. 1 1/2 kg. of lamb shoulder , cut into pieces

Marinade

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 large onion, passed through a box grater

10-12 cloves of garlic, cut into slivers

zest of 1 lemon

2 Tbsp. Dijon style mustard

10 sprigs of fresh thyme

2 tsp. dried Greek oregano

4 tsp. sea salt

1 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper

For the potatoes

approx. 12 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and quartered lengthwise

1 cup hot chicken stock

2 1/2 tsp. sea salt

3/4 tsp. ground pepper

juice of 1 lemon

Pre-heated 400F oven

1. Add all the marinade ingredients (except garlic) into a deep roasting pan and mix with a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning. Insert a knife into the lamb, slide slivers in garlic, repeat throughout meat to stud the lamb with garlic. Pour marinade over your lamb and cover, then place in the fridge for 6 -12 hours.
2. When ready to roast your lamb and potatoes, take the meat out of the fridge and transfer the meat (and marinade) to a roasting pan. Season the top of your lamb with salt and pepper, cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil. Place lamb in the oven and roast covered for 90 minutes. Remove, uncover to see if a bone comes loose from meat. If not place in oven for 15 minute intervals until done (larger shoulders or if you’re cooking more than one shoulder may/can increase cooking time to 2.5 to 3 hrs so plan ahead).
3. Uncover lamb, add the potatoes into the roasting pan along with the salt, pepper, stock and lemon juice and toss to incorporate.
4. Now place the lamb (plus marinade) back in the oven (uncovered) for another 45-50 minutes or until potatoes are cooked. Your lamb will now have a nice roasted brown colour.
5. Remove from the oven, divide and serve roast lamb and potatoes, spooning pan juices over the lamb.