Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Rosemary-Mint Lamb Rub

There's pretty much nothing easier than roasting a lamb shoulder. All you need to do is get a good lamb roast, rub it with spices and a little olive oil, and pop it in the oven for about an hour. And to simplify things even further, we've taken the guesswork out of choosing the perfect spices by creating our Rosemary-Mint Lamb Rub. 

This simple rub starts with the traditional English idea that mint pairs well with lamb and takes it a bit further with cracked and ground rosemary. Next, we add in some garlic, onion, black pepper, and coarse sea salt, resulting in a mixture of flavours and textures that is perfect for quickly and easily seasoning lamb. This blend will make your roast taste so good, it will seem like you were working away in the kitchen all day long.

We like to roast our lamb shoulder on a bed of potatoes with a bit of onion and garlic because it takes almost no extra effort and you end up with a delicious side dish, but this can be omitted from the recipe completely if you'd prefer.

Ingredients:

1 boneless lamb shoulder roast (approx. 2 lbs)
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
Rosemary-Mint Lamb Rub
Kosher Salt
Freshly-ground black pepper
2 lbs. potatoes (any variety), halved or quartered if large
1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped
3-4 cloves fresh garlic, lightly crushed and sliced

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425°F and place the rack in the lower third of the oven.
2. In a medium bowl, combine 2 Tbsp olive oil with 1 tsp kosher salt and a few generous turns of freshly-ground black pepper. Add potatoes, onion, and garlic and toss to coat.
3. Arrange the potatoes, onion, and garlic on the bottom of a roasting pan or oven-safe dish.
   
   
   
   
4. If it has not been done already, tie the lamb shoulder tightly with butcher's twine. Rub the entire shoulder liberally with Rosemary-Mint Lamb Rub. 
5. Drizzle the remaining olive oil on the lamb shoulder and place the meat on top of the potatoes.
   
   
   
   
6. Roast until the internal temperature reaches 145°F for medium (about an hour, depending on the size of your roast).
7. Remove the roast from the oven and place it on a cutting board to rest for 15 minutes, tenting with foil. Remove the twine, slice the roast, and serve with potatoes and another vegetable of your choice.