Lamb With Port And Prunes

Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 1 hr

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced very fine
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard, preferably colman's
• 1/2 teaspoon dried sage
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (4 -6 lb) boston butt or 1 (4 -6 lb) lamb shoulder butt or 1 (4 -6 lb) fresh ham, trimmed of most external fat
• 2 cups pearl onions (fresh or frozen, partially defrosted if frozen)
• 1 cup finely chopped leek ( part only)
• 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
• 1 cup port wine
• 1/2 cup beef stock or 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 cup pitted prune
• 1/4 cup armagnac, slivovitz
• plum brandy
• 2 bay leaves
• salt & freshly ground black pepper

Recipe

• 1 combine all dry rub ingredients together and rub meat the night before braising. refrigerate, covered in plastic wrap, until the next day.
• 2 preheat the oven to 325°f heat the oil over high heat in a heavy casserole or dutch oven just large enough to hold the lamb. brown the lamb on all sides, 7 to 8 minutes. remove and set aside. pour off all but about 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pot and add the pearl onions, leeks, and carrots. lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes.
• 3 pour in the port, stock and honey and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. add the prunes, the optional brandy, and the bay leaves and bring to a boil. put the lamb back in and spoon some of the prunes and vegetables over the top. cover the pot with foil and fit the lid on tightly.
• 4 place the pot in the middle of the oven and cook for about 1-1/2 hours, or until the lamb is quite tender and registers 160° to 165°f on an instant-read meat thermometer. remove the lamb from the pot and cover loosely to keep warm. the final temperature of the meat after resting for 10 minutes or so may read 170° to 175°f.
• 5 skim off any fat from the cooking juices. remove 6 of the prunes and puree them in a food processor or blender. stir the puree back into the sauce to thicken it. remove the bay leaves and taste the sauce for salt and pepper. remove the strings from the lamb if necessary, and carve into 1/2-inch slices. serve with the sauce and prunes and vegetables.