American Lamb Recipe

Bring to room temperature

Remove the lamb from the refrigerator 30–45 minutes before cooking so it comes toward room temperature for even cooking.

Pat the lamb dry with paper towels. Season all over with 2 tbs kosher salt and the black pepper.

Make herb-garlic rub

In a small bowl, mash the smashed garlic with a pinch of salt into a rough paste. Stir in chopped rosemary, thyme, Dijon mustard, brown sugar, smoked paprika, red wine vinegar, Worcestershire sauce and 1 tbs olive oil until combined.

Rub the mixture all over the lamb, pressing it into any crevices. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to overnight. If refrigerating longer than 1 hour, remove 30–45 minutes before roasting to come to room temperature.

Prepare vegetable bed

Preheat oven to 160°C / 320°F. Arrange the quartered onion, carrot pieces, celery and bay leaves in the bottom of a large roasting pan or Dutch oven; these will act as a rack and flavor the braising liquid.

Drizzle the remaining 2 tbs olive oil over the vegetables and toss lightly to coat. Season vegetables with remaining 0.5 tbs kosher salt.

Deglaze and combine liquids

Heat a large heavy skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add a small splash of oil if needed. Sear the lamb on all sides until nicely browned, 4–5 minutes per side. Transfer the lamb to the vegetable bed in the roasting pan.

Add the red wine to the hot skillet to deglaze, scraping up browned bits. Let the wine reduce by half, about 3–4 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and stock, bring to a simmer, then pour the braising liquid around (not over) the lamb so it comes about one-third up the sides.

Cover the roasting pan tightly with a lid or foil and place in the preheated oven. Braise for 2 to 2.5 hours, or until the lamb is very tender and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads about 90–95°C (195–203°F) for fall-apart texture. Check after 90 minutes and baste once with the cooking liquid.

Rest and finish sauce

When the lamb is tender, transfer it to a cutting board and tent loosely with foil. Pour the braising liquid and vegetables through a sieve into a saucepan, pressing on solids to extract juices. Skim off excess fat from the top.

Bring the strained liquid to a simmer and reduce by about a third until slightly thickened, 6–8 minutes. Whisk in the butter and chopped parsley and lemon zest if using. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.

Serve

Slice or pull the lamb into large pieces and serve with the warm sauce spooned over. Offer roasted vegetables alongside. Garnish with additional chopped parsley.