ROAST SHOULDER OF LAMB WITH COUSCOUS-AND-DATE STUFFING

Roast Shoulder of Lamb With Couscous-and-Date Stuffing image

Provided by Mark Bittman

Time 7h

Yield 8 servings

Number Of Ingredients 11

Ingredients

1 shoulder of lamb (about 4 1/2 pounds)
Salt and black pepper
1 1/4 cups couscous
1 tablespoon orange-blossom water
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
7/8 cup dates, stoned and cut into small pieces
1/3 cup raisins
1/2 cup blanched almonds, chopped coarsely
Optional, for garnish: 8 dates and 8 blanched almonds.
2/3 stick butter, cut into small pieces

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 475. Put the lamb, skin side up, in a baking dish, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place in the oven. Immediately lower the heat to 325 and cook for 4 hours or until the skin is crisp and brown and the meat is moist and meltingly tender. Pour off the fat after about 2 hours and pour in 3/4 cup of water.
For the stuffing, put the couscous in another baking dish, and add 1 1/4 cups warm water, a little salt, the orange-blossom water and cinnamon. Stir well. After about 10 minutes, pour in the oil, and rub the couscous between your hands to air them and break up any lumps. Mix in the remaining ingredients, except the butter, cover with foil and put in the oven with the lamb for the last 20 minutes or until steaming hot. Before serving, stir in the butter so that it melts and is absorbed evenly. With a fork, fluff up the couscous stuffing, breaking up any lumps. Add a little salt to taste.
For the garnish, remove the stones from each date and replace them with the blanched almonds. Serve the meat with the couscous stuffing garnished with these dates.

Nutrition Facts : @context http, Calories 875, UnsaturatedFat 31 grams, Carbohydrate 47 grams, Fat 59 grams, Fiber 5 grams, Protein 40 grams, SaturatedFat 24 grams, Sodium 786 milligrams, Sugar 20 grams, TransFat 0 grams