This roast lamb shoulder is marinated with garlic, ginger, and fresh herbs. It's roasted alongside veggies, then served with a rich red wine gravy. Perfect for the weekend or festive dinner with family and friends.
Table of Content
Lamb is always a great choice for us on festive occasions. While I make leg of lamb often, this lamb shoulder is one of our favorite recipes.
Did you know that the lamb shoulder is more flavorful than the leg of lamb? And yet, the leg of lamb always gets all the credit. Firstly, lamb shoulder is quite a fatty cut of meat. So, it is a great cut for slow cooking. And, it stays juicy and tender. Moreover, compared to a leg of lamb, lamb shoulder is usually less expensive. Today, I'm using what the butcher calls an oyster cut. It looks very similar to the leg of lamb really.
About this recipe
This recipe is fairly simple and easy because most of the flavor comes from the herbs and the cooking method. Hence, I call this my lazy day cooking because most of the work is done in the oven leaving me enough time to work on other things.
There are three components to this lamb shoulder.
- The marinade - The nice, strong flavors of garlic, ginger and herbs means you can cook this without a long marinating time.
- Veggies - If you plan to cook veggies with your meat, it's always wise to use vegetables that will benefit from the long cooking process. For instance, potatoes, carrots, parsnips, and turnip are excellent for such roasting. On the other hand, never use veggies like zucchini or tomatoes because they cook fast and release a lot of liquid during cooking. As a result, they tend to steam rather than roast the meat
- Gravy - This gravy is made with red wine and is like none other, provided you use good quality wine. No cooking wine. I use a rich Cabernet Sauvignon.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Lamb - I am using the bone-in lamb shoulder. But, you can also use the shoulder for this recipe. Just make sure to thaw the meat an hour or two before roasting. Read more about cuts of lamb.
- Herbs - Rosemary, Thyme, Parsley - Now, rosemary and thyme are the classic herbs that go so well with lamb. In addition, I love to add a third herb, such as parsley, to give it a bit more depth.
- Red Wine - Above all, always use good red wine for cooking. One that you would drink. So, if you cook with wine often, it's best to add a bottle to your weekly shopping list. The red wine in this recipe gets flavored with all the wonderful veggies and herbs. As a result, the gravy/ sauce is absolutely delicious.
- Vegetables - I used carrots, potatoes, onions, and lemon. And yet, you can also use parsnip and sweet potatoes. And, if you use sweet potatoes, cut them into large chunks as they cook must faster. Also, I highly recommend onions and lemon. Because, the onions caramelize and give the shoulder so much sweetness, and the lemon juices over the lamb add so much flavor.
- Stock - You could also use water. But, I prefer to use chicken or vegetable stock. And yet, if you don't have stock, go ahead and use water. The lamb is full of flavor, so you won't be missing anything.
Step by step instructions
Vegetables
- Cut potatoes and carrots into large 2-inch pieces. And, cut the onions and lemon into thick slices. Set aside.
Marinade
- Remove leaves from the rosemary and thyme stalks (do not use stalks).
- Roughly chop the rosemary, ginger, garlic, and thyme.
- In a mortar and pestle, crush all the marinade ingredients - rosemary, thyme, garlic, and ginger along with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. And, set aside.
Trim, sear, and marinate
- Using a sturdy cutting board and paring knife, remove excess fat and silver skin from the shoulder.
- Heat a skillet on high heat, then sear the shoulder on all sides - remove from heat.
- Next, generously rub the marinade on the shoulder. Set aside.
Roast
- Preheat the oven at 390 F / 200 C for at least 20 minutes.
- In a large roasting pan - add the veggies.
- Then, place the marinated shoulder on top of the veggies.
- Add a few more sprigs of thyme and rosemary to the roasting rack.
- Place the onions and lemons slices on top of the shoulder.
- Season with salt, pepper, and a little more olive oil.
- Next, pour the stock and red wine around the shoulder over the veggies in the roasting rack (do not pour over the shoulder to prevent the marinade dripping off).
- Loosely tent the roasting pan with aluminum foil.
- Put the roasting rack in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 320 F / 160 C.
- Roast for about 60 minutes, basting at least once in between.
- Then, remove the foil and continue to roast uncovered for another 60 to 90 minutes, basting once or twice in between.
- The meat should be soft, fork-tender and moist.
- Remove the shoulder and veggies to a serving platter. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while you make the gravy.
Gravy
- Place the roasting pan over medium heat and add the water and red wine.
- Deglaze the pan, scrape with a spatula to remove all the caramelized bits of veggies, herbs, and meat. Avoid the dark burnt parts.
- Add flour and continue to cook a minute or two more until thickened.
- Strain the gravy through a sieve or mesh. Then, pour into a sauceboat.
- Enjoy!
Frequently asked questions
If stored properly, this lamb will keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. You can also freeze it for up to a month.
Absolutely, both the shoulder and leg are very similar hard-working muscles and can use the same cooking method and temperature. You can also see my recipe for roast Leg of lamb, boneless leg of lamb.
Place the lamb on the roasting rack, fat side up covered for the first one hours, this will tenderize the meat and break it down. Then, uncovered for the next hour, this will give a nice brown color and crust on the outside.
Yes, since we cover the roasting pan for half the cooking time and cook it at a fairly low temperature, searing would add some caramelization and color.
Leftover roast meat works great in sandwiches and wraps. But, I also use leftovers in my chicken pot pie or shepherd's pie.
What starch do you serve along with this roast?
If you don't fancy polenta, you can try a side of potatoes like mashed potatoes, lemon rosemary roast potatoes, lemon dill potatoes, potato wedges. Rice pilafs and pilaus are perfect with slow-cooked meats such as quick vegetable pilaf or fragrant rice with fruit and nuts. If you looking for a low carb alternative try cauliflower rice.
What side dish do you serve with this lamb?
Almost any vegetable works great on the side. Try
quick garlic sesame asparagus or garlic Parmesan asparagus, Swiss chard patties, sesame green beans, oven-baked butternut squash, oven-baked carrot sticks.
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- Boneless leg of lamb
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Recipe
Roast Lamb Shoulder in Red Wine Sauce
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Ingredients
- 4 to 5 lbs (2 to 2.5 kg) Lamb shoulder
- 1 cup (240 ml) Stock - chicken / vegetables
- 1 cup (240 ml) Red wine
- 2 sprigs Rosemary
- 2 sprigs Thyme
- 2 sprigs Parsley
Marinade
- 3 sprigs Rosemary
- 3 sprigs Thyme
- 3 sprigs Parsley
- 2 cloves Garlic
- ½ inch Ginger
- 1 tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
Vegetables
- 3 Potatoes large
- 3 Carrot large
- 1 Onion large
- 1 Lemon large
Gravy
- ½ cup (120 ml) Water
- ½ cup (120 ml) Red wine
- 1 tbsp All-purpose flour or gluten-free flour
Instructions
Cut Vegetables
- Cut potatoes and carrots into large 2-inch pieces. Cut the onions and lemon into thick slices. Set aside.
Marinade
- Remove leaves from the rosemary and thyme stalks (do not use stalks).
- Roughly chop the rosemary, ginger, garlic, and thyme.
- In a mortar and pestle, crush all marinade ingredients - rosemary, thyme, garlic, and ginger along with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Set aside.
Trim, Sear, and marinate
- Using a sturdy cutting board and paring knife, remove excess fat and silver skin from the shoulder.
- Heat a skillet on high heat. Then, sear the shoulder on all sides - remove from heat.
- Next, generously rub the marinade on the shoulder. Set aside.
Roast
- Preheat the oven at 390 F / 200 C for at least 20 minutes .
- In a large roasting pan - add the veggies.
- Then, place the marinated shoulder on top of the veggies.
- Add a few more sprigs of thyme and rosemary to the roasting rack.
- Place the onions and lemons slices on top of the shoulder.
- Season with salt, pepper, and a little more olive oil.
- Next, pour the stock and red wine around the shoulder over the veggies in the roasting rack (do not pour over the shoulder to prevent the marinade dripping off).
- Loosely tent the roasting pan with aluminum foil.
- Put the roasting rack in the oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 320 F / 160 C.
- Roast for about 60 minutes, basting at least once in between.
- Then, remove the foil and continue to roast uncovered for another 60 to 90 minutes, basting once or twice in between.
- The meat should be soft fork-tender and moist.
- Remove the shoulder and veggies to a serving platter. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm while you make the gravy.
Make Gravy
- Place the roasting pan over medium heat and add the water and red wine.
- Deglaze the pan, scrape with a spatula to remove all the caramelized bits of veggies, herbs, and meat. Avoid the dark burnt parts.
- Add flour and continue to cook a minute or two more until thickened.
- Strain the gravy through a sieve or mesh. Then, pour into a sauceboat.
- Enjoy!
Recipe Notes
- Always thaw the lamb shoulder before cooking - a few hours at least 2 to 3 hours. Cooking chilled meat cause uneven baking causing the outer parts of the meat to overcook.
- A lamb shoulder is a large chunk of meat and not much exposed. So, make sure to over season the meat, because only some of it will penetrate the meat. The rest of it will get crusted on.
- Use a roasting rack, don't just place the meat on the baking tray. The roasting rack will let the juices flow below and let the outside of the shoulder forms a crust almost a sear that keeps all the juices in.
- Elevate the bone from the base if possible. This encourages even cooking by circulating the air.
- Cook the meat just until you reach the desired doneness, not a minute more. The meat continues to cook about 5 to 10 degrees more after you take it out of the oven.
- If you are entertaining and want to ensure you have the perfect roast. Remove the lamb shoulder at about 135 F - this will be perfectly pink and about 140 F by the time you serve.
- Don't open the oven door too often to check doneness instead calculate the cooking time and check closer to the time.
- Don't poke too many holes in the meat while checking for doneness. The moment you poke a hole in the meat you will see juices flow out. You want these to stay in so don't make too many holes. I poke the thermometer just ones and leave it there until it reaches the desired temperature.
- Let the meat rest after cooking. If you cut the meat too soon all the juices will flow out of the meat and give you a dry roast. Instead, let the meat rest for at least 15 minutes if not more.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Anne Godsey
The greatest lamb dish ever!!! I cook the lamb in wine and broth with rosemary and garlic.
The roast carrots, new potatoes, onions and parsnips separately then serve together.
Only way to cook lamb.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you, Anne. I am so happy you enjoyed this recipe. I love cooking veggies separately sometimes too.
bbq recipes
heather – I think the mushrooms look super dark because of the marinade (the soy sauce). They soak up a little of the liquid, so that gives it the dark caramel color 🙂
Veena Azmanov
There are no mushrooms in my recipe - Thanks