Apricot stuffed roast lamb recipe

Why not push the boat out and serve this lovely apricot stuffed roast lamb for Easter Sunday lunch. Ask your butcher to bone out a shoulder of lamb, or buy a rolled shoulder of lamb from the supermarket and untie it so you can stuff it with this fruity stuffing. This joint is so easy to carve at the table as it has no bone and shoulder of lamb is so sweet and tender. If liked you could also use a mixture of dates and parsley or add a little chopped mint to the filling too.

Ingredients

For this Easter recipe

you will need:

• 1 large shoulder of lamb (about 11/2kg), boned
• 1 small onion
• 1 small bunch parsley
• 50g blanched almonds
• 200g dried apricots
• 200ml dry white wine
• 300ml lamb stock
• 2tsp cornflour

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan/Gas Mark 4. Finely chop the onion, parsley, almonds and apricots.
2. Lay the lamb on a work surface and sprinkle over the apricot and onion mixture then season well, roll up tightly and tie with string to make a neat roll.
3. Place the lamb on a rack in a roasting tin, place enough water in the tin to cover the bottom without touching the lamb.
4. Cover with foil and roast for about 2-1/2 hours, adding more water if needed until the meat is really tender.
5. Remove the lamb from the oven and remove the foil. Add the white wine to the tin. Return to the oven and cook for a further 30 mins until the meat is golden brown.
6. Remove the lamb from the oven, place on a plate and allow to rest, covered with foil, for 15 mins
7. To make the gravy, skim any fat off the surface of the juices in the roasting tin. Place the tin on the hob and bring to the boil, adding the lamb stock. Dissolve the cornflour in 2tbsp cold water and stir into the meat juices until thickened. Serve with the lamb.