Looking on the bright side: things can only get better after today ... 😜
And one way to make everything happier is to cook up some soul food indoors. So I'm comfort-eating with hearty winter fare to get me through Blue Monday. Mr B has a partiality for roast lamb, and I'm rather keen on rolled roasts. I love the contrast of the meat and the stuffing. In this case I've added some dates to add a little sweetness, which works nicely with the lamb and some pomegranate seeds for a little extra zing.
Just read on for my recipe:
Ingredients (serves 3)
For the lamb
1.4 kg boned shoulder of lamb
Good glug of olive oil
250 ml of Guinness (one normal sized can)
1 cinnamon stick
3 bay leaves
4 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 dessertspoonful of red currant jelly
For the stuffing
100 g stale bread blitzed in a food processor into crumbs ( I use the ends of a sliced loaf. I especially like the seeded ones to give a nice texture)
zest and juice of a clementine
50 g stoned dates, roughly chopped
1/2 pomegranate, peeled and seeded (about a handful of seeds, so if you have a HUGE pomegranate you'll only need a quarter
handful of French parsley, finely chopped
1 shallot, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Make the stuffing
- Soak the dates in boiling water for 30 minutes. Drain, and squeeze out excess water, and roughly chop them.
- Mix the dates with the rest of the stuffing ingredients and set to one side.
- Heat the oven to 150ºC/ 300 º F/ Gas mark 2
- Season the lamb to taste on both sides.
- Using a palette knife spread the stuffing over the meat, and then roll the meat into a sausage shape. Tie securely with string.
- Heat some oil in an oven-proof pan, and brown the lamb on all sides.
- Remove lamb to rest on a plate.
- Brown the onion on the pan, and add the garlic.
- Pour on the Guinness, and add the cinnamon stick and the bay leaves.
- Allow the mixture to bubble for about 5 minutes, scraping any pieces of caramelised onion off the bottom of the pan.
- Place the lamb in the middle of the pan and roast in the centre of the oven, covered loosely with some silver paper for 2.5 to 3 hours, until the lamb is completely tender.
- Remove the lamb and drain the juices into a saucepan, skimming off and discarding any fat that may float to the surface.
- Whilst the lamb rests reduce the juices by boiling vigorously for a few minutes. Add the red currant jelly and stir to dissolve in the juices. Season to taste.
- Slice the lamb, and serve with the gravy.
This sounds interesting...I would love to try it sometime.
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