This stuffed lamb shoulder with feta and apricot serves 6 with leftovers and is easy to carve because it’s boneless.
We can’t think of a tastier main to serve up this Easter. It’s the perfect combination of salty cheese, plump fruit, and succulent meat. It’s also a really easy-to-carve option as there are no bones. You can marinade the lamb up to two days ahead, just bring it to room temperature before cooking.
Ingredients
- 1.5kg deboned lamb shoulder, butterflied
- 500ml lamb stock
- 100ml white wine
For the stuffing:
- 2 leeks, finely sliced
- 1tbsp olive oil
- 1tbsp ras el hanout
- 1-2 preserved lemons, flesh discarded, skin finely chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 400g tin chickpeas, drained
- 125g cavolo nero, de-stalked and shredded
- 100g soft dried apricots, chopped
- 100g feta, crumbled
- 25g each fresh coriander and mint, roughly chopped
You will need:
Method
- First, make the stuffing. In a medium saucepan, fry the leeks in the oil until soft. Add the ras el hanout, preserved lemons, garlic, chickpeas and 50ml water. Season, then simmer for 3-5 mins until the water has evaporated and the chickpeas are softening. Crush with a wooden spoon, then add the cavolo nero and allow it to wilt.
- Take off the heat, stir through the remaining stuffing ingredients and set aside to cool.
- Heat the oven to 240C (220C fan, Gas 9). Season the lamb (flesh side) with sea salt. Spread the stuffing over the surface and roll up tightly from the short end, securing with string. Rub all over with olive oil, season again, then put in a deep roasting tin.
- Roast the lamb for 20 mins, then reduce the oven temperature to 180C (160C fan, Gas 4). Pour the stock and wine into the tin and cover with foil. Roast for 1 hr 20 mins, or until a digital probe reads 60C for medium or 65C for well done.
- Rest the meat on a board, covered with foil, for at least 20 mins. Skim and discard the excess fat from the juices in the tin. Put the tin on the heat and boil for 5 mins to reduce the volume by half. Taste, adding vegetable cooking water or boiling water to taste.
Top tips for making our stuffed lamb shoulder with feta and apricot
The alcohol in the white wine will have cooked off by the time you serve the lamb with the juices, making it perfectly safe for the whole family to eat.
Do you take the string off lamb shoulder before cooking?
If your lamb shoulder is stuffed, we recommend removing the string after cooking and resting the meat.
Is shoulder of lamb very fatty?
This is a subjective question but lamb shoulder is most certainly more fatty than cuts such as lamb breast or leg. The fat makes the shoulder a great choice for slow cooking and it packs loads of flavour. It’s often a lot cheaper compared to lamb leg too.
Food Writer
“If you have any leftover feta and want a quick and easy to sauce to serve alongside your stuffed lamb, crush it with a fork and mix into some plain yogurt. Add a dash of mint sauce and season with lots of black pepper. If it’s too thick, you can add a splash of milk.”
To check the lamb is cooked to your liking we suggest using a digital probe.
