Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder with Garlicky Greens, Chickpeas, and Feta, a Delicious Convection Meal

There is no better antidote to cold rainy days than heading into the kitchen and creating a delicious meal that fills the house with tantalizing aromas as it slowly cooks. Preparing a roast that needs to cook slowly for several hours is easy, and best of all a tray of vegetables or a vegetable gratin can be added into the oven towards the end of the cooking for a complete oven meal.

Slow-Roasted Lamb Shoulder In The Convection Oven

If you are feeling adventurous you could even consider baking a dessert or another slow-cooked meal at the same time, all foods will cook evenly using Convection.

How to Slow Roast Lamb Shoulder in Convection

Many meat counters only carry a limited choice of the different cuts of lamb, so you may need to visit a butcher who carries a wider selection in order to find a lamb shoulder roast. A whole lamb shoulder roast can weigh between 7-8lbs, but the butcher can cut the shoulder down to the weight you need. I cooked a small 2lb roast in the video, but I got the end of the shoulder that had a lot of bone which adds great flavor but it wasn’t easy to carve.

Cooking The Roast On a Shallow Rack

While we know that Convection will not speed up the cooking time of meats that require long slow cooking to break down the connective tissue, roasting cuts of meat such as lamb shoulder in Convection does ensure that the meat stays very juicy. Depending on the weight of the roast you will need to allow 2 ½ - 4 hours of cooking time. I cooked my small roast for just about 2 hours beginning with a low temperature of 300F and increasing the temperature to 375F for the final 15 minutes of cooking for some sizzle.

Garlic and rosemary are the perfect partners for seasoning a lamb roast, together with a drizzle of olive oil and some kosher salt so very little prep is needed. Roasting the meat on a rack in a shallow pan ensures the Convection heat will cook the meat evenly and prevents the heat of the pan from pulling moisture out of the meat.

The meat is ready when it is very tender when poked with a fork, so using a meat probe is not really necessary however you can test the internal temperature before the final phase of high-heat cooking to make sure it has reached an internal temperature of145F.

Cooking Side Dishes with a Lamb Shoulder Roast

Since the majority of the cooking is done at a low temperature of 300F, side dishes are best added to the oven towards the end of the cooking time when the oven temperature is increased. Once the lamb comes out of the oven it will need to be set aside to rest before carving so if you slide in a tray of potatoes to roast when you increase the temperature to 375F they will be ready by the time the roast is ready to serve.

Lamb Shoulder Roast Meal Cooked in Convection

I cooked a tray of broccolini tossed with garlic and garbanzo beans that only took about 10-12 minutes to roast so if you choose quick-cooking vegetables as the side dish they can be cooked once the lamb is resting.

Using the Convection modes in your oven really can make meal preparation easier but we also love using the Broil mode for quick delicious meals, so check out the next post for some inspiration for those days when speed is of the essence.

Larissa, Your Convection Enthusiast