The secret to delicate-tasting lamb lies in the cooking time, temperature and marinade. Cooking in an oven-roasting bag helps ensure moistness and enhances your lamb roast's full favor. This self-basting process eliminates the need for additional fat or oil, resulting in healthier cooking. Oven bags also lessen mess and clean-up since you just place vegetables and flavorings inside the bag. Moreover, they help cut cooking time by up to 10 percent, making them an energy-efficient preparation method.
Step 1
Pre-heat the oven to the recommended temperature indicated on the roasting-bag manufacturer's package instructions. Typically, this is approximately 325 degrees.
Step 2
Wash and cut desired vegetables -- like potatoes and onions -- into quarters. Set them aside temporarily.
Step 3
Place the lamb on a clean cutting area. Rub the lamb's surface with a mixture made from spices of your choice. These could include chopped, fresh mint, rosemary and thyme leaves, minced garlic cloves, olive oil and a sprinkling of pepper and sea salt.
Step 4
Put the seasoned lamb into a large oven bag. Set it in a large roasting pan and add the prepared vegetables. Seal the bag, place the roasting pan in the oven and follow the suggested cooking time recommended on the bag manufacturer's package directions.
Step 5
Take the lamb from the oven at the end of the allotted cooking time. When done, lamb's internal temperature should be 160 degrees. Carefully cut open the oven bag, using scissors, to avoid a burn from released steam. Remove the lamb from the bag, place it on a serving platter and allow it to sit for 15 minutes, covering it with foil to keep it warm.
Step 6
Turn the oven off and place the roasting pan back in the oven for the 15-minute waiting period. This keeps the vegetables warm and allows them to crisp around the edges.
Step 7
Remove the vegetables from the oven and place them -- along with some attractive garnish such as fresh mint -- around the lamb on the serving platter. Pour the hot lamb roasting juices from the oven bag into a separate serving bowl to serve as a stock for drizzling over the meat and vegetables.
Things You'll Need
Leg or rack of lamb
Large oven-roasting bag
Fresh mint
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme
Garlic cloves
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Tip
Rubbing the lamb with olive oil before roasting helps prevent leaner lamb cuts from drying out during the cooking process.