Foodstuff: LAMB, BAM, THANK YOU, MA’AM

WHAT’S UP, my fellow turkey haters?!? Thanksgiving is nigh, and as a person with a longtime, well-known hard stance against all things surrounding this fall feast, I’m ready for the cooking shows, epicurean blogs, newsletters, and columns to finish up recommending exciting uses for the giant bag of cranberries you may have impulse bought at Costco.

To that end, I recently cooked up a festive roast, which I think would be a perfect addition to a holiday table and, for me, a welcome substitute for the ol’ gobble gobble. This recipe, from Craftbeering.com, was easy to prepare and allowed for the use of some late fall produce procured at the annual Farm Collaborative Farm-to-Fridge Community Meal Giveaway. At the farm, I also picked up a beautiful lamb shoulder roast with my potatoes and other vegetables, and “Opa!” — a feast of Greek-inspired meat was on the table.

Lamb shoulder roast with potatoes

Serves four to six:

• 2.5 pounds of lamb shoulder (boneless or bone-in)
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Two medium lemons juiced, plus 1 teaspoon zest
• Two shallots, halved
• Four to six garlic cloves
• Three to four sprigs rosemary, leaves removed
• 1 tablespoon coarse salt, plus a pinch or two more for the potatoes
• 1 teaspoon pepper, plus a pinch or two more for the potatoes
• 3 pounds baby potatoes
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 cups chicken or vegetable stock or water

Bring lamb shoulder to room temperature. Trim excess fat, leaving a good amount of fat cap on top. Preheat the oven to 450°.

In a roasting pan, toss potatoes with ¼ cup olive oil, half the lemon juice, oregano and a bit of salt and pepper.

Combine remaining olive oil, remaining lemon juice, lemon zest, rosemary leaves, salt, pepper, garlic, and shallots. Puree using a handheld or countertop blender.* Spread all over the lamb shoulder, and place it over the potatoes.

Add enough stock or water to cover the potatoes just over halfway. Place in the oven for 10 to 15 minutes.

After 10 to 15 minutes, lower the heat to 300° and loosely tent the roasting pan with foil. Place back in the oven for 60 minutes. After 60 minutes, remove the foil, and continue roasting low and slow for another 90 minutes or until desired tenderness is reached.** Baste occasionally with the drippings from the pan.

Cook’s notes

*Alternatively, mince garlic, shallots, and rosemary leaves, and combine with the rest of the ingredients. That’s what I did to avoid cleaning yet another kitchen tool.

**This lamb was tender but did not fall off the bone as advertised. If I cooked it again, I would either raise the heat and/or cook longer or just throw this in the slow cooker after searing it.

The flavors of this dish were wonderful and made the house smell amazing, but it’s definitely an all-afternoon affair, so plan accordingly. It also makes great leftovers; I stuffed the extra meat into warm pita bread with store-bought tzatziki, feta, and arugula and had a nice lunch for several days.

And hot tip: If you’re not into the savory on Thanksgiving but still a fan of a sweet treat, Hotel Jerome is offering a “Sweet as Pie” experience, selling eight-inch pies for pickup. Choose online from apple, pecan, or pumpkin, and grab them on the go this coming Wednesday or Thursday. More information can be found at auberge.com/hotel-jerome/experiences/thanksgiving-pies/

Happy Thanksgiving!

Katherine Roberts is a mid-Valley based writer and marketing professional who is thankful for the privilege of being picky about what she eats, on holidays or otherwise. She can be reached via her marketing and communications firm, Carington Creative, at katherine@caringtoncreative.com.