Description
This herb-crusted leg of lamb is a delectable holiday main, perfect for Christmas dinner or Easter Brunch.
Ingredients
Units
- 4 -6 lb boneless leg of lamb- preferably butterflied.
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 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
- 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
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
