Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb
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)
- 1/8 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 temperature3.25 pound boneless leg of lamb
- 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 onions4 onion slices
- In a small bowl add rosemary, sage, parsley, oregano and pepper and mix together2 teaspoons rosemary, 1 teaspoon sage, 1 teaspoon parsley, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1 sprig fresh rosemary
- Dribble olive oil on leg of lamb and rub it all over the lamb, including the bottom2 tablespoon olive oil
- Sprinkle the herbs, spices and garlic on the lamb and rub it into it3 cloves garlic
- 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. You are welcome to use black pepper.
- 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 with a rack, have at it.
- Use a meat thermometer to check the internal 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. I have the instant read thermometer, but you can also use the kind that you keep in the meat as it cooks.
- 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.
Nutrition
Originally published in November of 2016.
