Apricot stuffed roast lamb recipe

 

For Easter Sunday lunch, why not take a risk and offer this delicious roast lamb packed with apricots? Get a lamb shoulder boned out from your butcher, or purchase a rolled shoulder from the grocery store and cut the tie so you can fill it with this fruity stuffing. Because the lamb shoulder is so sweet and soft and there is no bone in it, this joint is very simple to slice at the table. You may also add some chopped mint or a combination of dates and parsley to the filling if you'd like.

Ingredients:

You will need:

• One large, boned lamb shoulder weighing around 11/2 kg
• One little onion
• One little clump of parsley
• 50g of blanched almonds
• 200g of dehydrated apricots
• 200 milliliters of dry white wine
• 300 milliliters of lamb stock
• two tablespoons cornflour

Method:

1. Warm the oven to 180°C (or 160°C for fans) and Gas Mark 4. Chop the apricots, almonds, parsley, and onion finely.
2. To construct a neat roll, lay the lamb on a work surface, sprinkle with the apricot and onion mixture, season well, roll up firmly, and knot with string.
3. Arrange the lamb in a roasting tin on a rack, and then add enough water to cover the bottom of the tin without coming in contact with the lamb.
4. When the meat is very soft, add more water as needed and continue roasting, covered with foil, for about two and a half hours.
5. After taking the lamb out of the oven, take off the foil. Fill the tin with the white wine. Put the meat back in the oven and cook it for a further thirty minutes, or until it is golden brown.
6. After taking the lamb out of the oven, transfer it to a platter, and give it 15 minutes to rest while covered with foil.
7. Skim any fat from the top of the liquids in the roasting tin before making the gravy. After putting the tin on the burner, add the lamb stock and bring it to a boil. Combine 2 tablespoons of cold water with cornflour, then mix it into the beef juices until it thickens. Alongside the lamb, serve.

TOP TIP FOR MAKING APRICOT STUFFED ROAST LAMB

Roast potatoes can be baked with the lamb for the last 45 minutes of cooking, and then the potatoes can be turned up in the oven to continue browning while the meat is resting.