Braised Lamb Neck with Rosemary and Preserved Lemon

written by Thor Erickson | photos by Rob Kerr

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

1 onion, fine dice

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 anchovy fillet

11/2 tablespoons rosemary, minced

11/2 cups coarse sourdough    

    breadcrumbs

1/2 cup flat-leafed parsley leaves,   

    chopped

½ cup Parmesan cheese, finely grated

1 preserved lemon, medium dice

2 mutton or lamb necks, butterflied*

1/3 cup olive oil

3 cups chicken stock

1 1/2 cups white wine

Heat half the olive oil in a frying pan over medium heat, add onion and garlic and stir occasionally until tender (5 minutes). Add anchovy and rosemary and stir occasionally until anchovy dissolves. Remove from heat, stir in mustard and set aside to cool. Add breadcrumbs, parsley, Parmesan and preserved lemon and season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Place mutton or lamb on a clean work surface, place half the stuffing on the far edge, season to taste, roll to form a long cylinder, then tie at 2-inch intervals with kitchen twine. Continue until all meat and filling are rolled into two neat cylinders.

Heat remaining oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add mutton necks one at a time and cook, turning occasionally, until brown. Transfer to holding pan and repeat with remaining meat. Add wine and then stock to frying pan along with all of the necks, cover with a lid or foil, and simmer over medium heat. Place entire pan in a pre-heated 325-degree oven until mutton is tender and cooked through, about 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove from the oven and let rest in the pan for about 15 minutes. Cut off the twine and cut the necks crosswise into 1- to 2-inch slices. Drizzle the pan juices over the mutton after it is on the plate. Serve with garlic mashed potatoes.

*Butterflied mutton or lamb neck can be special ordered from your butcher.

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