Is there a roast that engenders more passion than a leg of lamb? I think not.
People seem to either love it or hate it.
Why Is That?
I don’t really know but I do have a couple of suspicions that I feel have high odds of being correct.
The first is, that some folks who dislike lamb may have had it reheated. I love lamb when it comes right out of the oven or, even better, just off of the grill. Take that same meat and let it cool down and then, at some later date, reheat it and I can’t get it past my lips. To me, the taste and smell somehow become acrid. So that’s my first suspicion and of course the fix is simple – don’t eat it leftover!
The second suspicion is that a sub-optimal preparation or cooking method may have been used. Maybe a slow roasting or a stewing method. (although I admit many folks LOVE Irish stew) Or maybe the butchering or fat trimming left something to be desired. Long ago a Persian friend of mine told me that good lamb starts with a butcher who knows to remove the hock gland. If the hock gland is not removed the roast will have an excessively gamey taste.
OK. So What?
So here is how I approach leg of lamb. First I buy the lamb from a store I trust – remember, good butcher = good lamb. Then, my all-time favorite way to prepare it is to marinate it and grill it. I’ll do a blog post on that one day – I promise. Another way is to marinate it and roast it using the Warm/Sear/Roast/Rest method. I have served marinated lamb to many people who were sure that they could not eat lamb and most of them liked it! One person even thought it was impossibly tender and accused me of slipping in marinated beef tenderloin. Further, I’ve found that people who like a traditionally cooked leg of lamb, absolutely love this version.
Yasou!
The marinade is a simple one that I learned from a Greek chef I worked with during the Golden Age of Pompous Dinning. Garlic, oregano, onion wine and oil, mostly. I find that this works well with any red meat but especially with lamb. This is surprising to some as the herb most closely associated with lamb is rosemary. Trust me. Oregano.
So if you have been thinking about making something special for a family dinner or a holiday meal, give this one a try. It goes great with rice pilaf and green bean and fresh mixed vegetable casserole!
Boneless Roast Leg Of Lamb
Ingredients
Roast Leg Of Lamb
- 1 Half Boneless Half Leg of Lamb (About 3 to 4 pounds)
- 1½ Cups Marinade (See below)
- Salt and Pepper
Marinade
- ½ Cup Red Wine
- ½ Cup Olive Oil
- ½ Cup Water
- 2 Cloves Garlic Cut in pieces
- ½ Cup Diced Onoin
- 1 Tbsp Salt
- ¼ Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1½ Tbsp Dried Oregano
Instructions
Marination
- Mix together all of the marinade ingredients.
- Place lamb in a container and pour marinade over lamb.
- Cover and allow lamb to marinate in refrigerator for 4 to 24 hours. Turn the lamb after an hour or two to ensure that the marinade comes in contact with all sides of the lamb.
Preparation
- Transfer lamb to a dry container and let it come to room temperature (about 20-30 minutes).
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
- Salt and pepper the lamb and roast on a rack in a roast pan for 15 minutes to sear it.
- After 15 minutes reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and continue cooking for about 15 minutes per pound. For a 3 pound roast the cooking time would be 45 minutes.
- About 15 minutes prior to the end of the scheduled cooking time use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the roast. The target temperature for removal for medium rare is 110 to 115 degrees. If the thermometer reads that or higher remove the roast. If it is lower, then return the roast to the oven and continue cooking.
- Once internal temperature reaches 110-115 degrees remove from oven, tent it with aluminum foil and let it rest for 20-30 minutes. The lamb will continue cooking and the temperature will rise to about 145 degrees.
- Slice and serve.