Holiday Stuffed Crown Roast with Cranberry Relish

# Servings: 8

Stuffed Crown Roast

1 American lamb crown roast, tied and formed into a circle
4 cups dry bread cubes
4 cups fresh cranberries, divided
1-1/2 cup finely chopped celery
3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1-1/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup melted butter
Cranberry relish (recipe follows)

Cranberry Relish 1/2 cup honey
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 small can (11-1/2 ounces) mandarin oranges, drained
16 parsley sprigs

Stuffed Crown Roast

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Place roast on rack in shallow roasting pan. In large bowl, combine bread cubes, 1 cup cranberries, celery, onion, sage, salt, pepper, broth and butter. Mix well. Fill center of roast with stuffing. Roast for 1 to 1-1/2 hours or until desired degree of doneness: 145ºF for medium-rare, 160ºF for medium or 170ºF for well-done. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Internal temperature will rise approximately 10 degrees. Garnish with mandarin oranges and parsley. Slice between ribs and serve with stuffing and cranberry relish.

Cranberry Relish In food processor, process 3 cups cranberries. Combine cranberries, honey, lemon rind and nutmeg to make relish; mix well.

Tip: If desired, baste roast with 1/2 cup of cranberry mixture during last 30 minutes of roasting.