Cook Roast Lamb

Roast leg of lamb is traditional fare for holiday meals and special dinners. Roasting a leg of lamb is a simple process that starts with seasoning a bone-in leg of lamb, then roasting it for a few hours until the meat is flavorful and succulent. Roast lamb is often served with a bright mint sauce to offset its deep flavor.

Ingredients

For the Lamb

  • 1 leg of lamb, bone-in, about 6 pounds (1 pound of bone-in meat per serving)
  • 6 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 2 teaspoons black pepper
  • Zest of 1 lemon
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • Optional: chopped new potatoes, carrots, or shelled green peas

For the Mint Sauce

  • 1 cup of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 3 tablespoons wine vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon hot water

Steps

Preparing the Roast

  1. Preheat the oven to {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}}. It takes only a few minutes to prepare the roast for cooking, so preheat the oven before you get started.
  2. Place the leg of lamb in a roasting pan. Choose a metal, glass or ceramic pan that's just large enough to hold the entire leg of lamb. If you're roasting the lamb with vegetables, it's fine to use a slightly larger roasting pan.
  3. Rub the lamb with herbs, spices and oil. Place the garlic, rosemary leaves, salt, pepper, and lemon zest in a bowl. Pour in the olive oil and mix well. Rub the mixture all over the leg of lamb.
    • If the mixture seems dry, add a bit more olive oil. You need enough of the rub to cover the entire leg of lamb.
    • Make sure to cover the entire surface of the meat, so that each part cooks evenly and has great flavor.
  4. If you're roasting vegetables, add them to the roasting pan. Arrange them around the leg of lamb in a single layer, so that the vegetables cook evenly. As they cook, they'll absorb juices that run off the meat.
    • Don't pile vegetables up the sides of the leg of lamb, since this may cause the lamb to cook unevenly.
    • If you use russet potatoes, you might want to parboil them first to make sure they cook all the way through. Peel the potatoes and chop them coarsely. Bring a pot of water to a boil and boil the potatoes for 10 minutes, until they are halfway tender. Add them to the roasting pan when the meat is ready to cook.[1]

Roasting the Lamb

  1. Roast the lamb for 30 minutes. Place the roasting pan in the oven and roast at a high temperature for half an hour. This will create a delicious crust around the leg of lamb.
  2. Reduce the heat to {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} and continue roasting. Roast for another hour at this lower temperature to make sure the meat gets cooked all the way through. Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the lamb and determine if it's ready. Leg of lamb tastes best when it's cooked between medium rare and medium well.[2]
    • For medium rare leg of lamb, remove the dish from the oven when the internal temperature has reached between 145 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
    • For medium or medium well leg of lamb, remove the dish from the oven when the internal temperature has reached between 150 and 155 degrees Fahrenheit.
  3. Allow the lamb to rest for 15 minutes. Tent aluminum foil over the baking dish and let the lamb rest. This gives the juices time to reabsorb into the meat, creating a succulent, tender dish. After 15 minutes, you may carve the lamb.

Serving with Mint Sauce

  1. Whip up the mint sauce. Mix the mint, sugar, vinegar and water in a bowl. Use a whisk to whip the mixture until it's thoroughly incorporated.
  2. Arrange slices of roast lamb on a platter. Place the slices in an artful pattern on a single platter, or put a few pieces on the plates you'll be serving to people.
  3. Pour a little mint sauce over the lamb. Use a spoon to ladle a little sauce over the lamb slices. Its bright flavor provides the perfect contrast to the deep umami of leg of lamb. As an alternative, you may serve the lamb with some of the juices from the bottom of the pan, to keep the meat moist.

Tips

  • If you'd like, baste the meat and vegetables every 30 minutes.

Warnings

  • Oily stains should only be washed in hot water. Cold water will set an oil stain.
  • Take care to avoid oven burns and spattering hot oil or fat. Wear oven mitts when removing the dish from the oven and handling it.

Things You'll Need

  • Oven
  • Baking dish
  • Serving platter
  • Meat thermometer
  • Carving knife

Related Articles

Sources and Citations

  1. ↑ http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Roast-Leg-of-Lamb-with-Potatoes-and-Onions-101613
  2. ↑ http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/rosemary-and-garlic-roast-leg-of-lamb-recipe.html
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