Roast Leg of Lamb

You can have the roast turkey. Leave the glazed ham. Prime rib — what’s that? In my house, leg of lamb is the celebratory roast; I love its tenderness and flavor. Though roast leg of lamb sounds intimidating, the sweet little secret is that leg of lamb is actually one of the easiest, most foolproof cuts of meat to cook.

Here’s our remarkably simple, fuss-free leg of lamb recipe. It will turn out perfectly every time.

When we talk about lamb leg, we mean one of the back haunches of the animal, and the most common cut includes the upper part of the leg only. Think of the thigh, without the lower part of the leg.

While I’ve cooked lamb on many occasions, cooking a whole leg can still feel intimidating (as opposed to a more beginner-friendly lamb chop recipe). It’s a large, expensive cut of meat, and I always wonder whether I am going to dry it out or make it tough. Should I marinate it? Should I do something special to make sure it’s cooked properly?

I spoke to my favorite local butcher, Bluescreek Farm Meats, in Columbus, Ohio, to learn a little more about leg of lamb and how to cook it.

Here are some expert tips from Jamie Smith at Bluescreek on what to look for in lamb, and how to cook it. A sneak peek: Cooking a leg of lamb is actually really, really simple.

Usually leg of lamb is sold without the shank attached; you are just buying the upper part of the leg, as seen here, without the lower part. You can order a leg of lamb with the shank left on, however; this is sometimes called an “American leg,” but usually it’s simply referred to as “shank-on leg.”

Some people prefer this, as it looks more traditional and dramatic on a serving platter, but there’s no major advantage to having the shank (other than getting an extra soup bone!).

Bone-in is best for the flavor. Think of how we make stock from bones, Smith said. The bones hold so much of the flavor. When you roast a piece of meat with the bone still in, you are getting all that flavor in the meat itself. A bone-in lamb leg can be a little trickier to carve, but we opted for bone-in in this cooking lesson (don’t worry; we’ll show you how to carve it).

If you are really nervous about carving meat, boneless is fine; it’s easier to slice. If you buy a boneless leg of lamb, it will probably come in a net. When the bone is removed from the lamb, the meat needs to be held together in the shape of the leg for cooking, so heatproof, oven-safe netting is usually used. If your netting isn’t oven-safe, you can tie it up with kitchen twine instead (or ask your butcher to do it for you!).

• Go to a quality and reputable butcher. A leg of lamb is expensive regardless of where you buy it, so we feel that the investment is best spent with a butcher who either raises the animals himself (as Bluescreek does on their farm) or who can tell you how the lambs were raised.
• Ask for market weight. This means no baby lambs, and no lambs that are too old and verging on (tougher) mutton.
• Ask if they can trim the lamb leg for you. This means that they will trim away the fell, a thick outer layer of fat (which is what can make lamb taste so strongly “mutton-y”), as well as any additional fat that you request to have removed. Personally, I like a nice pad of fat, which insulates the meat and keeps it tender.

“Lamb leg is a really tender cut,” said Jamie at Bluescreek. “You don’t need to marinate it.” In fact, she said, marinating lamb can actually make it tougher.

A marinade is designed to break down the tough fibers in meat, but since lamb is naturally so tender, marinating can destroy the integrity of the meat — the texture and flavor — and make it tough to chew. “I would not marinate a lamb leg for more than two or three hours,” said Jamie. “It’s fine to follow a recipe, but be cautious.”

To add flavor to the roast, we decided to skip marinating altogether and season it simply with herbs and garlic.

• Bone-in leg of lamb: Though bone-in can be trickier to carve, it adds more flavor to the dish.
• Garlic: Adds a buttery seasoning on top of the lamb just before it goes in the oven.
• Rosemary sprigs: Adds a rich, aromatic flavor to the leg of lamb.
• Olive oil, salt, and pepper: This serves as the rub over the leg of lamb.

Personal preference should determine how long you cook your leg of lamb. Personally, I find rare and bloody lamb to be unappetizing. I prefer medium-rare to medium — still tender, with a hint of pink.

We calibrated our cooking lesson to this stage of doneness, but consult the cooking chart below if you like your lamb done differently. I will say that such a large cut of meat will probably have some variability; parts of the lamb leg were a little closer to medium, and others were closer to rare.

Roasting Temperature: 325°F

• Rare: 115°F to 120°F (about 15 minutes per pound)
• Medium-Rare: 120°F to 125°F (about 20 minutes per pound)
• Medium: 130°F to 135°F (about 22 minutes per pound)
• Medium-Well: 140°F to 145°F (about 25 minutes per pound)
• Well-Done: 150°F to 155°F (about 30 minutes per pound)

All of these cooking times take into account the fact that we broil the lamb first to sear it. They also assume a resting period of at least 15 minutes, during which the lamb actually continues cooking internally.

It’s best, especially if you like rare or medium-rare lamb, to take it out at a lower temperature than those officially recommended by the USDA.

REMEMBER! These times are only guidelines. Depending on many factors, your lamb leg may roast slower or faster. Check after one hour and then continue roasting, checking frequently, until the lamb reaches your desired internal temperature.

This show-stopping roast pairs well with a number of side dishes. Here are a few of our favorites.

• English Jacket Potatoes
• Oven-Roasted Asparagus
• Mashed Potatoes
• Garlic Green Beans
• Dauphinoise Potatoes
• Glazed Carrots
• Crispy Skillet-Fried Potatoes
• Cheesy Baked Asparagus
• Lemon Butter Melting Potatoes

• Storage: Leftover lamb can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
• Freezing: Jamie recommends freezing leftover rare to medium-rare lamb in slices wrapped in foil. Then, to warm them, she puts the frozen slices, still wrapped, in a 350°F oven. This will warm them and not overcook them.

A bone-in leg of lamb always surprises me with how easy it is to roast. This cut of lamb is so flavorful that all it needs is some garlic and rosemary. It may seem like a large piece of meat, but it’s great as a holiday table centerpiece or a hearty dinner on a weekend that leaves you with leftovers for sandwiches or salads for the week.

Carving a leg of lamb is actually easier than carving a whole chicken, and we’ve added some more photos to walk you through the whole process so that you have a beautiful serving platter of perfect lamb slices when you’re all done.

– Christine, November 2018