This glossy, tart, scarlet-red berry called the ‘cranberry’ (sounds like I’m describing a new lipstick on the market) contains the most wonderful healing properties. With all the recipe tasting that goes on in my house, I had forgotten about this recipe until I saw cranberries in a fruit shop and was reminded of it. If it’s not the season for cranberries, as it’s quite short, dried cranberries work just as well. Although you may be trying this recipe for cranberry lamb for the first time during the Yomim Tovim, it’s sure to become a firm favourite all year round.
Cranberry Lamb
Servings
8 Servings
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh cranberries or 1 cup dried cranberries
- 3 tablespoons cranberry jelly
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 onions peeled and sliced into rings
- 5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
- 1 shoulder of lamb 6-7 lbs
- Coarse black pepper to taste
- 4 cloves garlic sliced
- 1/2 cup fresh mint chopped
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Place the cranberries, cranberry jelly, wine, stock, vinegar and sugar in a saucepan and simmer until the mixture has reduced by one-third.
- Place the onions in a roasting pan big enough to fit the lamb comfortably. The roasting pan shouldn’t be too big as you don’t want all the sauce evaporating too quickly. Don’t forget that the lamb will shrink while cooking.
- Place the sprigs of rosemary on top of the onions and lay the lamb, boney side facing you, on top.
- Grind coarse black pepper over the lamb and tuck the garlic and mint into all its cracks and crevices.
- Pour over the reduced sauce and sprinkle with coarse salt.
- Roast uncovered for about 1 hour. Baste every now and then with the sauce.
- Reduce the heat to 330 F, turn the meat, and continue to roast, uncovered, for a further 45-60 minutes until golden brown. Then cover the meat with foil and roast for a further hour.
- Keep warm on a low heat until ready to serve.
- Enjoy with potatoes, butternut and minted peas or a crisp green salad with fresh cranberries.
Hi Marylin,
I would definitely brown the lamb on all sides. Remove the lamb, add a little more oil and add the onions to the same pan in which the lamb was frying and fry until lightly browned. Then I would add the ingredients from No. 2. to the onions and follow those cooking instructions.
Placing sliced raw onions in a slow cooker won’t brown them and I prefer them a little brown (nicer taste). Place lamb in SC, add onions and sauce, rosemary etc and cook in slow cooker until soft. Remember the lamb will also give off liquid, keeping it more moist in the slow cooker. Hope it goes well.
Can I do this lamb recipe in a slow cooker? If so, should I brown the meat first, any other recommendations?
Many thanks, Marylin
Re: cranberry Lamb recipe