Lamb Roast with Onion Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 carrots
• 250 g turnip celery root
• 2 onions
• 1 tsp juniper berries
• 750 ml dry red wine
• 200 ml red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp peppercorns
• 2 cloves Allspice
• 2 Bay leaves
• 50 g sugar
• 2 handfuls sorrel
• 1 kg milk lamb shank (pre-cooked and ready to use)
• Salt
• pepper (ground)
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 2 tbsp Tomato paste
• 250 g pearl onions
• 1 tbsp powdered sugar
• 1 tbsp gooseberry jam

Instructions

1. 1.

   Cut the peeled root vegetables (carrots, celery root, onions) into roughly walnut-sized pieces. Slightly crush the juniper berries with the back of a knife. Add the vegetables to a pot and pour in the wine, vinegar, and a little water. Add the juniper berries, peppercorns, allspice, bay leaves, and sprinkle sugar. Rinse the sorrel, dry it, tie into a small bouquet, and add to the liquid. Bring to a boil once and then let cool.

2. 2.

   Pat the drained meat well dry, shape it, and place it in the cooled liquid. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 days, turning the meat 2-3 times during this period.

3. 3.

   Remove the meat from the brine before cooking and pat it very dry with kitchen paper.

4. 4.

   Pour the wine reserved for the sauce through a sieve into a bowl and catch the vegetables with the sorrel.

5. 5.

   Preheat the oven to 150°C fan.

6. 6.

   Just before roasting, season the meat all over with salt and pepper. In 1 tbsp clarified butter, sear the meat in a hot Dutch oven on all sides. Remove it again and brown the drained root vegetables in the remaining fat. Briefly sauté the tomato paste and deglaze with some of the captured brine. Fill the pot about halfway with the brine and finally add the browned meat with the drippings and sorrel to start the sauce. Cover and braise in the oven for about 2 hours at gentle heat, turning the meat every 30 minutes and adding more brine if needed.

7. 7.

   Peel the pearl onions and brown them in a hot pan with the remaining clarified butter. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and let caramelize lightly.

8. 8.

   Remove the finished roast from the pot and let it rest wrapped in foil.

9. 9.

   Strain the braising liquid through a fine sieve into a small pot, passing the vegetables. Add to the onions and reduce to about half. Season with gooseberry jam, salt, and pepper, and thicken with a little starch if desired.

10. 10.

    Slice the meat and serve with the sauce.

11. 11.

    Serve with potato gratin if desired.