Roast leg of lamb is one of the easiest “special occasion” recipes there is. The simple herb, lemon, and garlic marinade is all this great cut of lamb needs before it’s roasted to pink perfection.
The meat should come tied up, if not, have the butcher tie it for roasting.
- 1 (5- to 6- pound) leg of lamb, boneless, tied up
- 2 lemons, juiced
- 6 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
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Gather the ingredients.
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Combine all the ingredients, except for the olive oil and salt, in a large bowl.
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Rub the leg of lamb thoroughly with the marinade until coated. You may even push some herbs and garlic into any cracks and crevices.
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Place the lamb in a plastic bag, and marinade in the refrigerator overnight, or for at least 6 hours.
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Remove the lamb from the fridge, and let sit out for 45 minutes to come up to room temperature.
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Remove the lamb from the marinade and place on a rack in a large roasting pan. Rub with the olive oil, and season very generously with the salt. Keep the side with the most fat facing up. Preheat oven to 450 F.
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Roast for 15 minutes in the preheated oven to begin browning the surface.
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Then reduce the oven to 315 F and roast for approximately 10 minutes per pound (for a 5 to 6 pound leg this will be about an hour). The best method for checking the doneness is using a digital meat thermometer and removing the lamb when the internal temp reaches 135 F. This will give you a nice pink and juicy roast.
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Let the lamb rest for at least 20 minutes before slicing. It is best sliced thin, against the grain of the meat.
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- While the meat is resting, you can pour off the fat from the roasting pan, place it over a medium flame, and deglaze the browned bits on the bottom with a cup of water, or stock. Simply scrape the bottom of the pan with a spatula while the liquid simmers, until all the caramelized juices have dissolved. Pour this over the sliced lamb when served.
