Learn how to make the most delcious, boneless leg of lamb roast! It is filled and coated with a flavorful herb-garlic paste, then slow-roasted over vegetables and served with mint gremolata sauce. A special dinner, perfect for gatherings and worthy of your holiday table.
Here’s my family recipe for leg of lamb, with garlic and herbs and slow-roasted in the oven. Growing up, on special occasions and holidays, my Egyptian father would slowly roast a leg of lamb. This was truly a once-a-year type of meal that was relished by all. By the time I fully understood what I was eating, it was too late; I acquired a taste for lamb early on. To this day, the smell of lamb wafting through the house brings me back to those happy times together as a family. This recipe is made with a boneless leg of lamb, that is stuffed with a flavorful herb paste and encased in a flavorful herb crust. It’s absolutely delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Leg of Lamb Recipe
- Perfect for entertaining! This recipe can be prepped up to 3 days ahead, refrigerated, and then roasted the day of.
- Flavorful! The flavorful herb and garlic paste, compliments the lamb flavor perfectly!
- Cook to your desired Temperature: Rare, medium, or meltingly tender (my favorite!)
- A One Pot Meal! It can be made into a whole meal when roasting over vegetables.
Leg of Lamb Ingredeints
- 4-6 lb boneless leg of lamb
- Herbs: rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley and mint
- Garlic cloves
- Olive oil
- Salt and Pepper
- Roasting vegetables (optional) any assortment of potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, beets, parsnips, sunchokes.
Step one: Make the flavorful herb paste. Pick two to three savory herbs like sage, rosemary or thyme, blended in a food processor with flat-leaf parsley, garlic and olive oil. It doesn’t need to be smooth.
Step two: Prep the lamb. Once you unwrap your lamb, make sure to pat it dry. It makes the whole process easier. Sometimes, even an already butterflied leg of lamb will need some trimming and help to get it so it’s flat and rollable. Just remember, it really does not need to be perfect. The idea is to get the roll somewhat even so it’s roughly the same diameter on both ends, for even cooking- but even this is not essential.
Step three: Generously sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper. Spread the herb mixture on the inside, saving some for the outside too.
Step four: Then roll it up as best you can. I usually remove some of the outer fat like you see below. This is a personal preference. Some people leave the fat on like I did here this time, as an experiment, and it is also good– but I prefer it with most of the fat trimmed off. The herb paste will keep it moist.
TIP: If you leave the fat on, score it with a sharp knife, so the herb paste gets into the cuts.
Step five: Wrap it up with kitchen twine, at one to two-inch intervals.
Step six: Rub the outside of the lamb with the remaining herb mix.
Step seven: Place the rolled lamb over a bed of veggies (carrots, potatoes, celery, onion) or over a rack set within a pan.
Leg of Lamb Roast Time
TIP: Because the leg of lamb is a tougher cut of meat, I prefer it cooked until falling apart tender. For the photos here, I’ve cooked it to 125F (rare) and thinly sliced it. It is nice, but full disclosure: it is slightly chewy.
- Rare: cook to 125 F (roughly 20 minutes per pound) Shown in photos
- Medium: cook to 135F (roughly 25 minutes per pound)
- Well-Done: Cook to 150°F (roughly 35 minutes per pound)
- Fall-Apart Tender Lamb. Cook to 175°F (roughly 40 minutes per pound) I like this best!
Serving Roast Leg of Lamb
StoragIng leftover leg of lamb
Leftover lamb roast will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days in an airtight container. Cut into smaller portions and freeze for up to 6 months.
More Favorite Lamb Recipes
- Harissa Roasted Leg of Lamb
- Oven-Roasted Lamb Chops with Indian Curry Sauce
- Irish Lamb Stew
- Lamb Shawarma
- Moroccan Braised Lamb Shanks with Pomegranate
- Turkish Lamb Wraps
- Middle Eastern Instant Pot Lamb Stew
Herb Crusted Leg of Lamb Recipe
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 210
- Total Time: 1 hour 40 mins
- Yield: 8
- Category: Main
- Method: Roasted
- Cuisine: mediterranean
Description
This herb-crusted leg of lamb is a delectable holiday main, perfect for Christmas dinner or Easter Brunch.
Ingredients
- 4 –6 lb boneless leg of lamb- preferably butterflied.
- salt and black pepper to taste
Herb Paste
- 1 cup fresh herbs, packed (a mix of 2 or 3 of the following) thyme, sage, rosemary
- 1 cup Italian parsley, packed ( about a 1/2 a bunch) tender stems ok
- 15–20 cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp salt per pound of lamb
- 5 tablespoons olive oil
Roasting Vegetables
- 6–8 cups variety of chopped root veggies – onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, fennel bulb, parsnips, beets, sunchokes, leeks, whole garlic cloves
- olive oil to coat
- salt and pepper to taste
Mint Gremolata (to serve on the side)
Instructions
- Pre heat 425 F Oven
- Remove lamb from packaging and pat dry well. Trim away any unwanted fat. A little marbled fat is good, big chunks are not. It’s ok to also remove some or all of the outer layer of fat if that doesn’t appeal to you. (If you want to leave the layer of fat on the roast, score it with a sharp knife in a diagonal criss-cross pattern and at 1-inch intervals just till you hit the meat. Place the outer side (side with fat) down. See the recipe post on how to butterfly it to create a rectangle.
- Make the herb filling and crust: Place all the herbs, garlic, salt and pepper and lemon zest in a food processor and pulse until it becomes like very coarse sand. Add oil, scraping down the sides if necessary, pulse until just combined -not too smooth or oily- this should feel like a dry coarse paste.
- Fill. Sprinkle all sides with salt and pepper. Spread 2/3 of the herb paste on the inside of the lamb, saving the rest for the outer crust.
- Roll up the lamb with the filling on the inside and tie at 2-inch intervals. You can either do individual strings and knots or wrap up with one very long string. It really doesn’t need to be perfect, just do the best you can. Rub the remaining filling paste all over the outside of the lamb. (At this point, you can refrigerate for 1-3 days if making ahead. Make sure to bring it to room temperature at least one hour before roasting.)
- Roast. You have 2 roasting options. 1. Roast alone on a wire rack, over a pan (fastest) to catch the drippings giving you a crust on all sides. 2. Prepare a bed of roasting veggies for the leg of lamb to rest on and roast over, collecting the juices (longest, but my favorite and tasty).
- If using veggies: cut any combination of roasting vegetables into bite-size pieces. Toss a little olive oil to coat and sprinkle with salt and pepper, a few springs of herbs, stir and lay the lamb roast directly over top in a large roasting pan.
- Place lamb in a hot 425 F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325F. Continue roasting, understanding that the size of the lamb will determine roasting time. (See notes). Once cooked to desired doneness (use a thermometer) remove the lamb from the baking dish, set aside on a cutting board, loosely covered with foil, and let the veggies continue to cook, if needed, while the lamb rests 15- 20 minutes. Resting is important here. 😉
- While the lamb is roasting, make the optional Mint gremolata. Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Slice the lamb and serve with roasted veggies & mint gremolata.
Notes
Leg of Lamb Roast Time
TIP: Because the leg of lamb is a tougher cut of meat, I prefer it cooked until falling apart tender. For the photos here, I’ve cooked it to 125F (rare) and thinly sliced it. It is nice, but full disclosure: it is slightly chewy.
- Rare: cook to 125 F (roughly 20 minutes per pound)
- Medium: cook to 135F (roughly 25 minutes per pound)
- Well-Done: Cook to 150°F (roughly 35 minutes per pound)
- Fall-Apart Tender Lamb. Cook to at least 175°F (roughly 40 minutes per pound)
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6 ounces- without veggies
- Calories: 407
- Sugar: 0.2 g
- Sodium: 514.8 mg
- Fat: 22.9 g
- Saturated Fat: 5.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 1.9 g
- Fiber: 0.4 g
- Protein: 47.1 g
- Cholesterol: 145.2 mg
Can you recommend a replacement for the parsley? Can’t use in our family
Are you talking about for the gremolata Romy? Carrot tops would work if you have access or fresh oregano (probably 1/2 the amount), arugula would be good!
Do you think I could use these ingredients with a slow-roasting method like in your lamb shawarma recipe?
I don’t see why not? I think the flavors would be great, but the vibrant herby green color will darken.
This recipe looks delicious! If I roasted the lamb alone on the wire rack, do you think there were would be drippings to make a gravy? Thank you!
yes, absolutely!
I made this for a dinner last year, this is one of my favorite go to recipe for lamb, planning on making it for Christmas dinner. The Mint gremolata is fantastic with the lamb.
Great to hear Kathleen.
This is stunning. I chose this recipe to make for a special dinner. Unfortunately I defrosted the lamb too soon. It was spooked to defrost slowly but oops it defrosted very quickly. It is 6 days until my dinner so I need to cook the lamb a day or two ahead. Would you suggest braising the lamb seasoned as in your recipe and then reheating it. I thought perhaps braising it would keep the lamb moist as opposed to roasting ahead. Sadly it wouldn’t be lovely and rare. Any suggestions?
Hi- I see your challenge. I think braising it would require a totally different recipe? Or you could put it in the freezer again for a day or two?
Thank you!
We don’t have a butcher shop and my grocery store does not sell lamb. Could I use beef tenderloin as a substitution? This looks so yummy and am thinking about making it for Mother’s Day dinnner.
Yes, you can. It may cook a little faster, just use your thermometer.;)
What oven settings would you use if you had Convection options: Convection bake and Convection Roast and Convection Broil? Or would you use traditional Bake option for this recipe?
Great question. I used regular bake. I think you could start with that, then at the end ( last 20 mins?) if you want more color, flip to convection roast. Broil might get it oo dark to quick.
Excellent.
Does the filling stay bright green like the picture?!
Yes! If you cook the lamb on the rare side.
Fabulous! After trimming all the fat, we had a 4.7 lb. roast. I did not have fresh herbs, so the substitutions went like this:
3 tbsp. dried parsley, 1 tbsp. EACH of sage, rosemary, and thyme. Followed the recipe as written otherwise, and used wire rack in oven. A beautiful, medium-cooked delicious lamb roast!! My husbanc and son ate as much as they could and both said it was the best lamb they’d ever tasted. Thanks!
Yum. This is even better grilled on the BBQ. Don’t bother to roll and grill flat over med-high heat. So good…. Cook your veggies on the BBQ as well, root veggies are brilliant in hobo packs (sealed foil packets with veggies, herbs and a little butter and salt/pepper). Easy and gorgeous.
I was planning on cooking it in my Traeger, so you did not tie it up ?
What oven temperature is best? How long to expect with veggies roasting?
I fixed the recipe, thanks!
Hello
Made this recipe a couple weeks ago and will make it again this weekend for Easter followed the recipe closely,it turned out very well I did butterfly the lamb leg out a bit more so that there was about twice as much surface area on the inside of the role for the herb mix and I raised the roast on two inverted stainless cups and roasted up crispy
.
I made it and it turned out amazing. I had it for 2hrs longer just because my parents dont like to see red in the middle. Best lamb i ever had
It is in our oven right now for Christmas Dinner! Thank you so much for this great recipe.
Awesome! Thanks Kathy!!!
Thanks so much for sharing, both this recipe and your memories, Sylvia. I love the dish and your beautiful photos and it’s always nice to get know the backstory as well. Thank you!
By crust you mean bread crumbs?
No…an herb crust.
Yum! Bought all of the ingredients for this tonight and cannot *WAIT* to cook it up 🙂
Thanks for the recipe. I made it for Easter dinner and it was a success! Thank you so much!
Im so happy you enjoyed!
Nice post , i hope everyone will like your post
Everything about this looks stunning and delicious! A meal like this is well worth the wait.
This is making my mouth water in anticipation of the lamb that we’ll be feasting on on Sunday. That gorgeous cutting board is making my mouth water a bit, too. Drool.