This dish is excellent with mashed potatoes, fluffy rice, couscous, soft polenta, or creamy scallop potatoes — perfect for Easter dinner! You can also serve this with a side of mint sauce or English mustard as an accompaniment.

Easter braised lamb shoulder

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, rolled, and tied shoulder of lamb
• 5 large onions sliced
• 4 large carrots diced
• 5 cloves garlic minced
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig rosemary and thyme
• 1 ½ cups diced canned tomatoes and in their juice
• 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 ¾ cups chicken stock*
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Splash of olive oil

Method:

1. In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, sear and season the shoulder of lamb to light golden brown–about 7-10 minutes.
2. Next, remove from the heat, add the oil and begin to soften the onion, garlic, herbs, for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Then add the tomatoes, mustard, carrots, then place the lamb shoulder back into the pot, cover with hot broth season and braise in a oven at 325⁰C for 2-2 ½ hours or until the lamb shoulder is just cooked tender and moist.
4. You can turn the shoulder every 20-30 minutes basting at same time.
5. Once cooked, gently remove the shoulder from the pot and simmer the remaining juices on a stovetop. Adjust the seasoning if need be.
6. Remove the string from the lamb slice into 2 inch thick pieces and serve with a hearty scoop if the onion, carrot and the braising liquor.

Serves 6-8

*Be sure to use gluten-free soy chicken stock if you want to make this recipe gluten-free!

Courtesy Michael Bonacini,

www.oliverbonacini.com

@Oliver_Bonacini