Braised Lamb Shoulder
Are you planning on serving lamb for Easter? Braised Lamb Shoulder is tender and smothered with a creamy mushroom thyme sauce. A wonderful main dish to share with your family and friends this Easter.
Not sure if you’re a lamb lover or not? It’s definitely a stronger meat and most people either really like it or can do without it. I rather like it, and grilled lamb chops are my personal favourite. Braised lamb is my second favourite because the long braising time helps to mellow the stronger lamb taste. To make it even better, this fork tender Braised Lamb Shoulder is generously hugged by a flavourful sauce made with sherry, mushrooms, thyme and cream.
My thoughts for this dish came from having brunch at the Banff Springs Hotel. There, they just happened to serve three separate braised lamb dishes. The one that took me back for seconds was a braised lamb in a creamy mushroom sauce. While this Braised Lamb Shoulder is not exactly what I had, it is similar in many ways and just as delicious. I always love it when dining out generates motivation and inspiration for creating great food.
Don’t be a slave to the kitchen either, with a little prep you don’t need to worry much about this roast for 4 hours. So you can spend most of the afternoon with your guests. The final dish can also be left to sit in a low oven, giving you time to enjoy an appetizer or mingle over a glass of wine, or both. Enjoy!
Recipe Source for Braised Lamb Shoulder: Â Compelled To Cook
- 5 pounds boneless lamb shoulder roast see note
- salt and pepper as needed
- 2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
- 1 pound button or white mushrooms half or quarter larger mushrooms
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 2 1/2 cups sherry
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 each bay leaf
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves coarsely chopped
- Preheat oven to 325℉. Season lamb shoulder generously with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large braiser or dutch oven over medium high heat. Sear roast until browned on all sides. Remove roast to a plate and add mushrooms, sautéing until browned and starting to give off their liquid. Add garlic and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring often.
- Add sherry and reduce over medium high heat for 2 minutes. Stir in chicken stock and heat to a simmer. Add roast back into pan, along with a bay leaf and about 5 sprigs of fresh thyme. Cover and cook in oven for 2 hours. Turn roast over and replace lid, continue to cook for an additional 2 hours.
- Remove from oven and carefully lift roast out of pan onto a plate. Cover with foil and allow to rest while completing sauce. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs and discard. Skim any excess fat from liquid and simmer over high heat to reduce liquid to about 2 cups, approximately 15 minutes. Whisk together heavy cream and cornstarch. Whisk into sauce along with the chopped thyme and bring back to a simmer. If sauce is not thick enough, continue to reduce for 2-3 minutes until a desired consistency is reached. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools so be careful not to reduce too much. If you do, simply add a splash of heavy cream to adjust. Adjust final sauce with salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove butcher string from roast and slice against the grain into 1/4" slices. Arrange slices in desired serving dish and ladle with sauce. Serve immediately or cover with foil and keep warm in a low oven for up to 1 hour.
If your boneless lamb shoulder comes with a netting, cut it off and retie with butcher string so the roast can be seared prior to braising.
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