Roast leg of lamb is a traditional Sunday dinner in countries like Britain, New Zealand and Australia, but it's often relegated to special occasion-only status in the United States. That's a pity: roast lamb is not only flavorful and juicy, it is a simple way to feed -- and impress -- a crowd. Leg of lamb lends itself to a wide spectrum of variations and can be prepared with just about any combination of herbs and spices you prefer. However, it's tough to beat the pure, uncomplicated taste of lamb roasted with minimal seasonings and served drizzled with its juice.
Step 1
Place the leg of lamb on a cutting board and use a paring knife to remove and discard as much fat as possible.
Step 2
Use the tip of the paring knife to make small, 1-inch deep slits all over the lamb. Slide a sliver of garlic into each slit.
Step 3
Tie lengths of kitchen twine firmly around the leg, starting at one end and tying parallel pieces of twine every 2 inches. Tie three more lengths of twine around the leg, positioning them so they are perpendicular to the twine already in place.
Step 4
Combine the salt, pepper, rosemary and oil in a small bowl. Dry the leg of lamb with paper towels and rub the seasoning mixture all over the meat.
Step 5
Place the meat on the wire rack positioned on a roasting pan. Cover the lamb loosely with plastic wrap and allow it to stand at room temperature for one hour.
Step 6
Heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit and adjust the oven rack to the lowest position available.
Step 7
Remove the plastic wrap from the lamb, pour 1 cup of water into the bottom of the roasting pan and roast the lamb for 15 minutes.
Step 8
Take the roasting pan out of the oven and, using potholders or kitchen towels to protect your hands, flip the leg of lamb over. Allow the meat to roast for 15 minutes more.
Step 9
Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the lamb and flip it over again. Return it to the oven and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until an instant-read meat thermometer inserted in three different parts of the meat registers 130 degrees Fahrenheit for medium-rare. During the cooking time, continue to flip the meat over every 30 minutes.
Step 10
Allow the leg of lamb to rest on a carving board, tented loosely with aluminum foil, for 15 to 20 minutes.
Step 11
Pour the accumulated juice from the roasting pan into a fat separator or large measuring cup and use a spoon to remove fat from the top of the liquid.
Step 12
Carve the lamb and serve slices drizzled with the pan juices.
Tips and Warnings
- Roast lamb is traditionally served with mint jelly or a green mint sauce, but it is also excellent with spicy chutney.
Things You'll Need
- 1 bone-in leg of lamb, 6 to 8 lbs.
- Cutting board
- Paring knife
- 3 garlic cloves, sliced into thin pieces
- Kitchen twine
- 2 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. pepper
- 1 tsp. fresh rosemary, minced
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- Small bowl
- Paper towels
- Large roasting pan
- Wire rack
- Plastic wrap
- 1 cup water
- Washable potholders or thick kitchen towels
- Instant-read meat thermometer
- Carving board
- Aluminum foil
- Fat separator or glass measuring cup
- Spoon
References
- "How to Cook Everything: Simple Recipes for Great Food"; Mark Bittman; 1998
- "The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook"; The Editors at America's Test Kitchen; 2006
- The Food Channel: Roast Leg of Lamb with Roasted Potatoes
- Martha Stewart.com: Roast Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Herbs
- "Joy of Cooking"; Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker and Ethan Becker; 1997
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