This roasted boneless leg of lamb recipe is delicious and impressive. You will wow your guests when you serve it at one of your dinner parties or for a holiday meal. It’s cooked medium rare and tender as can be.
Every time I have lamb, I think of my parents. Although we didn’t have roasted leg of lamb often, when we did, we considered it a special dinner.
When I first went to college, they drove me the two hours to school and we stopped along the drive to have lunch at an old, mom-and-pop place. Leg of lamb was on the menu and that’s what each of us ordered.
This meal always has a special place in my heart.
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Helpful Tips
- Do not add salt to the rub or the lamb before cooking as it will draw out moisture.
- For better coverage, dribble olive oil on the lamb and rub it in before adding the herb mixture and garlic.
- Put all the herbs and spices in a mixing bowl to combine before rubbing on the lamb.
- Set the lamb on thickish onion slices as the meat drippings will make them delicious to eat. But if you prefer to use a traditional roasting pan, have at it.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. You want it to read 125 – 135 degrees for medium rare. For medium, you want to take the meat out at 140 – 150. And for well done, 160.
- Note that its temperature will rise another 5 degrees as you wait to cut the lamb.
- You always wait for the meat to rest for a bit before cutting into it. I wait for 15 minutes. You do this to give the meat’s juices time to redistribute.
How to make leg of lamb
Pre-step
Take the lamb out at least an hour before starting the recipe. You want it to be close to room temperature.
Also get a baking pan. I’m using an oversized 13 x 9 pan that was my grandmother’s.
Step one
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
Step two
Unwrap the lamb, get an onion, garlic and herbs. You have to leave on the netting, which holds the leg together as it’s boneless. (A)
Step three
Slice the onion in 4 large rings and place them in the baking pan. This next part is optional but it flavors the lamb greatly – lay a large sprig of fresh rosemary on the onions.
Crush 3 cloves of garlic and set aside. Gather the herbs – dried rosemary, sage, parsley, oregano and pepper. (B)
Step four
Add the dried herbs and pepper in a small mixing bowl and mix together with a whisk.
Step five
Place the lamb in the pan, right on the onion and rosemary. Dribble olive oil over the lamb. Be generous, this will help the herbs stick to the meat. (C)
Step six
Pour some of the herb mixture in your hand and sprinkle it over the meat. Repeat until all the herb mixture is gone.
Step seven
Use your hand to rub the herbs into the meat. Add the crushed garlic on top and use your hand again to rub it on the meat. (D)
Step eight
Bake for 15 minutes.
Step nine
Lower the temperature to 325 degrees Fahrenheit and continue cooking the lamb until it reaches between 125 – 135 degrees. You can use a digital thermometer or the one you stick in the meat as you cook it.
I took my roast lamb out when it reached 130 degrees.
Mine took a little over an hour but remember, go by temperature, not by time.
See helpful tips for the temperature requirements if you like your lamb done more than medium rare.
Step ten
Let the lamb rest for 15 minutes before you cut into it. Remember to cut it against the grain. I cut mine towards the fattest part of the leg.
Let’s look at the sliced lamb at another angle.
I plate some of the meat with a baked potato, an onion slice from the pan and carrots.
Since this is a post that I updated and re-published, I wanted to include one of the old photos where I plated the lamb with creamed spinach and mashed celery root.
All that’s left is to dig in.
I hope you enjoyed this roasted boneless leg of lamb recipe.
What is your favorite way to eat lamb? Leave me a comment as I’d love to know. Two other favorite lamb recipes are Irish stew and chops.
And as always, may all your dishes be delish!
If you’ve tried this I’d love the hear what you thought about it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, TWITTER, INSTAGRAM and PINTEREST to see more of my delicious food and delightful cocktails!
Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 3.25 pound boneless leg of lamb (leave webbing on, take out of fridge 1 hour before roasting)
- 3 cloves garlic (2 – 3 cloves, crushed)
- 2 teaspoons rosemary (dried)
- 1 teaspoon sage (dried)
- 1 teaspoon parsley (dried)
- 1 teaspoon oregano (dried)
- â…› teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Extras
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- 4 onion slices (used to raise the lamb off the pan)
Instructions
- Take lamb out an hour before proceeding. You want it to be close to room temperature
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F
- Place the onion slices on the bottom of a roasting pan and place leg of lamb on top of the onions
- In a small bowl add rosemary, sage, parsley, oregano and pepper and mix together
- Dribble olive oil on leg of lamb and rub it all over the lamb, including the bottom
- Sprinkle the herbs, spices and garlic on the lamb and rub it into it
- Stick a meat thermometer in the meat – or use a digital thermometer.
- Place leg of lamb into the oven for 15 minutes
- Reduce temporature to 325 degrees F and roast until lamb is 125 – 130 degrees internally for medium rare
- Take leg of lamb out and let rest for 15 minutes before cutting it at a slight angle towards the larger part of the lamb
- Plate
- Smile
- Enjoy
Equipment
See all my favorite tools and gift ideas at my Amazon Store page!Check out Elaine’s Amazon Store!Notes
- Do not add salt to the rub or the lamb before cooking as it will draw out moisture.
- Put all the herbs and spices in a mixing bowl to combine before rubbing on the lamb.
- Dribble olive oil on the lamb and rub it in before adding the herb mixture and garlic for better coverage.
- Set the lamb on thickish onion slices as the meat drippings will make them delicious to eat.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. You want it to read 125 – 135 degrees for medium rare.
- Note that its temperature will rise another 5 degrees as you wait to cut the roasted boneless leg of lamb.
Nutrition
Originally published in November of 2016.
Christopher
Lamb reminds me of my childhood, this looks fabulous!
Ephyna Pollewog
I made the recipe tonight. It turned out very yummy! Thank you.
Elaine
Ephyna! Thanks so much. I love when peeps make my recipes and give me feedback!
Patty
We love lamb in my family and I make some every other month, I tend to always make it in the same fashion but I’ll try your way next time, that looks so good!
Haley D Williams
I am loving this for Easter dinner! If I can wait that long…it looks that good!
Elaine
Thanks so much Haley! That’s how I feel about it!
Valentina
This looks and sound fabulous! And I love that your comforting food is more an ingredient than a dish. So accessible that way. 😉 For me it’s brisket stew. Was my mom’s specialty. She’d spend a good 2 days on it and the whole house smelled amazing and it was of course, delicious.
Elaine
Thanks Valentina! And Mmmm. Brisket stew sounds awesome!!
Susie
Learning how to cook and eat lamb is on my “to-do” list for this year. Thanks for the great recipe. Those onions look so scrumptious… not to mention that creamed spinach on the plate!!!
Elaine
Thanks Susie!! It’s so easy to make lamb and so delicious! And I love eating the onions :).
Kate
Lamb, and particularly mint sauce, reminds me of Easter dinner with my parents! Great idea to have the onion rings underneath.
Elaine
Thanks Kate! I started doing the onions underneath roasts because I didn’t have a rack that fit my pan and now I’m hooked as the onion tastes so good with the drippings!
Jeanette
Not often I eat lamb, don’t know why. But it looks very delicious 🙂
Elaine
Thanks so much Jeanette! Lamb is one of my favorites!
Sabrina
Such a great recipe, my husband and I made it last night and it was a hit! The lamb and onions were delicious and we added small potatoes in the bottom to make it a one pot meal. Thank you!
Elaine
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sabrina!! I love the addition of the small potatoes!! And thank you so much for telling me that you made it and liked it! 🙂
Marina
Do you just add salt to the lamb after it comes out of the oven?
Elaine
I let my guests (and myself) salt it at the table. It doesn’t need a lot.
Joy
Simply put…PERFECTION!!!!
Didn’t have all herbs on hand and used what I had (thyme, basil, extra oregano, extra pepper and extra garlic). Roasted on top of onion, as per recipe, and carrot….will used extra onion next time. Paired with beautiful wine and a lovely (also simple) mint dessert. Just a fancy Wednesday night here ????????
Husband looking forward to leftover lamb…and he’s not the leftover type.
Elaine
Hi Joy, your comment made my day. I’m so pleased that you enjoyed the recipe!! And all your additions sound fun and delicious! 🙂 Cheers!
April
Looking forward to trying your lamb roast recipe this Easter! Can you give me some idea as to how long it took to reach desired temps and the final product? (Obviously it would depend on the size roast, oven, etc.) I’m trying figure a rough estimate. Thanks!
Elaine
Thanks April! I would say it’s 20 minutes per pound so my lamb too an hour but I like it medium rare. And the size of my lamb was 3.25 pounds. If you like it medium – then I’d say 25 minutes per pound but check the temperature 15 minutes from the time you anticipate it being done. And remember to let it rest for 15 minutes before cutting. I hope you enjoy it.
Robert
What about the beautiful dark brown lamb gravy?
Elaine
I do love lamb with gravy but I’ve only made gravy once. I have to get my sister to teach me as she makes the gravy during the holidays. But I encourage you to make some if you prefer your lamb with gravy!
LN Benavides
The lamb comes “trussed up.” Do we take the trussing off the lamb?
Thanks in advance!!
Elaine
No, LN, I never do. Since it’s boneless it would flop over. I just bake it and once it’s done, I cut the netting off. Hope this helps.
LN Benavides
When baking do we cover the roast with foil or a lid?
Elaine
I have never covered the lamb. I just let it bake as is. Let me know how it goes LN!
Kylie
This is absolutely delicious! We recently got a whole lamb delivered and basically we are going to be trying every way to eat it!
Elaine
Yay! Wow, a whole lamb. I would so love that coming to my house. Thanks Kylie. I hope you enjoy your lamb.
Anjali
This looks so comforting and easy to make! It’s perfect for the holidays!
Elaine
Thanks Anjali!! Yes, it’s so good around the holiday! Thanks for commenting.
Vicky
This looks like a wonderful roast perfect for a family dinner.
Elaine
Thank you Vicky. It’s so fun to serve at Sunday supper.
Kathryn Donangelo
I made this leg of lamb recipe over the weekend and so glad I did! The lamb has so much flavor and cooked to perfection. I am thinking about making this for Thanksgiving as well. Thanks so much for the awesome recipe!
Elaine
Thanks so much Kathryn. I’m very pleased you enjoyed it. It’s one of my favorite ways to eat lamb.
Nart at Cooking with Nart
Yum! That leg of lamb is just cooked to perfection! Thanks for the tip about adding salt – something I need to stop doing!
Elaine
Thanks Nart. Omitting the salt will make your lamb even more juicy.