This way of roasting lamb is incredibly simple but involves some degree of organisation, since you need to calculate the time needed for marinating and cooking.
This a very traditional Tuscan recipe, celebrated in Pellegrino Artusi’s Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well. In those days, preparation snd cooking times, and ingredient quantities were rarely indicated, so I am trying to give more precise indications.
This Arezzo style roasted lamb is usually cooked on the BBQ, and is frequently basted with the marinade: in Italy we use a rosemary sprig as a brush.
This recipe’s ideal side dish is an oven dish full of golden potatoes, roasted with olive oil, garlic and sage.
Cook them apart, not in the same baking dish as the lamb, since the sharpness of the vinegar would give the potatoes an acidic taste.
Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cooking Time: 1 hour | Total Time: 1 hour + 10 minutes ( + 2 hours for marinading) | Yield: Makes 4 servings.
Ingredients
- 2.5 lb (1 kg) lamb shoulder
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 3 sage leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 garlic cloves, peeled
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Sea salt
Instructions
Coarsely chop the herbs and add the olive oil and vinegar. Poke holes in the meat with a fork to absorb the marinade and let it sit for 2 hours.
Bake in a convection oven at 375° F (190° C) for an hour, turning and brushing it with the marinade (using a rosemary sprig).
Serve with sage and garlic roasted potatoes.