You just can’t beat a beautiful bit of roasted lamb on a weekend. This boneless lamb shoulder roast is not only easy to make, but basted in the most delicious garlic, lemon and rosemary marinade. The end result? A ridiculously flavourful, thick layer of garlicky lemony goodness that melds right into the rendered fat of the lamb. A timeless flavour combo that is simply glorious.
Lamb Shoulder Instead of Lamb Leg
Lamb shoulder is a popular cut of lamb, but not the most popular cut for a classic roast. Typically for a classic lamb roast you would go for a leg of lamb. You generally cook the leg at a higher temperature for a shorter amount of time. The leg is leaner, and so overcooking it will give you a dry piece of lamb.
The shoulder is much fattier and more flavourful, and really benefits from slow-roasting at a lower temperature. By doing this, you get a fall-apart, fork-tender lamb. And who can resist fatty bits of juicy lamb shoulder?…Not me!!! But I also don’t want to spend long hours drooling over my oven waiting for a shoulder of lamb to slow-cook. Behold, my boneless lamb shoulder roast-with a delicious garlic, lemon and rosemary marinade!
Obviously the texture of the lamb shoulder is different when comparing to a low and slow cook. Instead of individual fibres that fall apart, you get juicy, fatty slices of lamb without the dryness of a traditional lamb leg. Because the leg is lean, it is not as forgiving as the shoulder if you overcook it.
This is why I often choose lamb shoulder if I want that classic roast, but still want the flavourful, fattier taste of lamb shoulder. Choosing a rolled boneless lamb shoulder is more convenient, and will cook much faster that bone-in cuts, too!
As a guide, I like to roast mine at 180°C fan for about 30-35 minutes per 500g of meat. It just depends on how pink you like your lamb! This recipe uses a 1.6kg shoulder, which I roast until medium-rare (1 hour 40 minutes). This gives it a lovely pink blush in the centre.
The Garlic, Lemon and Rosemary Marinade
Now, I don’t mean to alarm anyone. But if you think there is such a thing as ‘too much garlic‘, then you may as well use this marinade to ward off vampires. It’s pretty darn garlicky. And lemony. And packed with rosemary.
The marinade itself is incredibly flavourful. But truth be told, there’s nothing unique about the flavour combo. Lemon, garlic, and rosemary are classic flavours that go with lamb. My only issue is that there’s never usually enough of that flavour! So I took matters into my own hands here, and created a marinade that takes this lamb to a whole new level of flavour.
The secret is to pour most of the marinade on the lamb (even better if you leave it overnight) – but still leave some leftover. The leftover marinade is what you’ll use to baste the lamb as it cooks. The garlic and lemon and rosemary flavour the lamb as it roasts in the oven. When you spoon on some fresh marinade as it roasts, you do a few things. You infuse the lamb with more flavour, you promote even browning, and you help keep it juicy. But best of all, you create a thick, delicious coating of garlic, lemon and rosemary that is unbelievably delicious.
Serving this Boneless Lamb Shoulder Roast
There are so many ways you can serve this boneless lamb shoulder roast. You are limited only by your imagination! The first thing to make sure your hard work does not to go waste is to let the lamb rest. It’s gone through a lot – from the cold fridge, to being marinated, to going into a scorching hot oven. The muscle fibres and proteins need time to ‘relax’.
When the meat goes into the oven, these fibres contract, which means they squeeze out moisture into the centre of the meat. What you want is even distribution of moisture. By allowing the lamb to rest once out of the oven, the fibres have a chance to redistribute that moisture evenly, back toward the edges of the meat.
Once it’s rested, I like to cut it into thick slices, pouring on any leftover juices from the roasting tray. Serve with any of your most-beloved sides for a classic roast, like mashed potatoes, or roasted vegetables. One of my favourite ways to serve this lamb is on a bed of carrot and caramelised onion purée, with buttery rainbow chard with candied walnuts.
Or, try it alongside some roasted pumpkin with pomegranate and lemon garlic yoghurt. (In case the lamb didn’t have enough lemon or garlic for you!)
In any case, next time you feel like a bit of roasted lamb, I hope you give this recipe a try! xxx
Boneless Lamb Shoulder Roast with Garlic, Lemon and Rosemary
Description
This boneless lamb shoulder roast is coated in a delicious, thick layer of garlic, lemon and rosemary. This recipe is simple, flavourful, and produces succulent lamb every time!
Ingredients
Method
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Preheat oven to 180°C fan.
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Prepare the marinade by mixing the garlic, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper.
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Allow lamb to come to room temperature. Pat it dry with paper towels, and rub two thirds of the marinade all around the meat (Optional overnight marinade - see Note 1).
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Place lamb on a wire rack in a large roasting tray, and place in oven. Roast for 30-35 minutes per 500g of lamb (depending on how pink you like your lamb). For this 1.6kg shoulder, I roast for 1 hour 40 mins for medium-rare lamb.
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After 30 minutes, take out the lamb and spoon on some leftover marinade. Cover with foil if there are bits that are starting to brown too quickly. Repeat this process every 30 minutes or until the marinade is all used up.
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Once cooked, take the lamb out of the oven and let it rest, covered loosely with aluminium foil for a minimum of 20 minutes.
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Slice and serve with your favourite sides. Enjoy!
Note
- If you are planning on leaving the lamb to marinade overnight, or for a few hours, don't worry about letting it come to room temperature. Just rub the marinade over the lamb, and place in the fridge in a ziplock bag. This will increase the flavour in the final dish, but can easily be skipped. The flavour is incredible regardless! If you are doing the longer marinade, just be sure to take the lamb out of the fridge for around an hour before placing into the oven.
User Reviews
Thank you so much turns very nice nad all my family enjoy that 👍
I’m so glad your family enjoyed it Mariya!