Roasted Leg of Lamb
This recipe is so good yet it doesn’t require too much time, effort or ingredients. It’s easy & fool-proof, even for you first-timers!
If you haven’t cooked a leg of lamb before, don’t be intimidated.
I know, it seems incredibly daunting but it’s so much easier than you think. It’s fool-proof and fuss-free. And you don’t even need a long drawn-out ingredient list.
Nope, the ingredient list is super simple here – all you need is garlic, olive oil, fresh herbs, Dijon, salt and pepper.
Now I left the shank on for it’s dramatic presentation but you can easily purchase one with the shank removed – there’s no advantage here except for the aesthetic eye for serving.
Marinating is also not needed here – you’ll see that the simple garlic mixture of this recipe will bring in so much flavor. And it’s sure to be a crowd-please for your Easter holiday or your next dinner party. It also pairs perfectly with these mini hasselback potatoes!
Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 1 (5 pound) bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
- Using paper towels, pat lamb dry. Using a sharp knife, score the top side of the lamb by making shallow cuts in a diamond pattern.
- In a small bowl, combine garlic, olive oil, rosemary, thyme, Dijon, salt and pepper.
- Place lamb, fat side up, on a rack in the prepared roasting pan. Spread garlic mixture evenly over the lamb, rubbing in thoroughly into the scored cuts.
- Place into oven and roast until it reaches an internal temperature of 135 degrees F for medium, about 1 hour 30 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes, or until desired doneness. Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.
- Serve immediately with mini hasselback potatoes.
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Super easy, 5.6 lb boneless leg came out perfect after 1.5 hrs. Thanks! I decided to serve it with the potatoes, steamed Swiss chard and a tiny dollop of horseradish or Dijon too
Oooo I see now that it says 1 tbsp of salt. I only used a tsp. Still game out great!!!
I’ve never cooked lamb in my life…. do I need to ask the butcher to do anything special when prepping the leg?
Can I take the juices from the lamb and make some sort of gravy…. how do I do this? Please be specific… again never cooked lamb before
What temp should a leg of lamb be when cooked (is it best med rare?)
Thank you for your help!
This looks amazing and I can’t wait to try it….
I tried it… I loved it! I made it last night!!!!!
I used ground thyme instead of fresh, I also lowered the amount of it to 1/4 t. ( Because it would have been too overpowering) Other than that I followed the recipe exactly as given. I appreciated not needing to marinate it before putting it in the oven. After taking it out of the oven and letting it sit for 15 minutes,I sliced off a few pieces and shared some with my daughter. It was delicious!!!! Even though it was late (after 10 pm) I found myself stealing little slivers. If you’re wondering which recipe to try, look no further.
Hi,
In defence of poor Carol who asked an innocent question . The recipe for potatoes that you shared link to, gave the 425 temperature 😉
Recipe looks great. Will try not to mess with it!
Absolutely delicious!! It was a big leg of lamb, I’ve cut two onions and lots of garlic + thyme and rosemary and a good splash of red wine! Then I’ve put the oven at 160 degrees Celsius, gas mark 3 or 320 Fahrenheit for 4 hour covered with foil then last hour removed it, it was nice and soft, juice meat, delicious!! The juices left to make the gravy it’s to beautiful to mix it with flour…I’ve just used the blender, And smells ridiculously good everywhere in the house!!Beautiful wish I could post the picture
So, you DIDN’T make the recipe. Right? No Onions! Not with Lamb and not called for. 4 hours??? Did you make Lamb Jerky? smh
I haven’t made this yet but plan to tomorrow. How do you cook the lamb at 350 degrees and the potatoes at 425 degrees at the same time in the same oven.
Thanks so much. The recipe sounds delicious.
Thanks, carol
Hi. Where does it say 425 degrees? If you don’t have one of those fancy ovens that can cook at two different temperatures, make the at 350 degrees. Will come out fine.
It says 425° F when you read the recipe for the recommended hasselback potatoes.
I just added potatoes around the roast and cooked together. I’ve also cooked vegetables – potatoes, carrots, or any other of choice, by placing the vegetables in a separate casserole dish to cook alongside the roast, but not in the same pan.
This way, if vegetables are not done, they can continue to roast while the roast is resting before cutting.
When a recipe is changed, it’s usually due to personal taste preferences. It’s helpful to read comments that talk about variations, but I agree that the recipe itself is what need to be rated as is.
Changing the recipe and rating the change is ridiculous.
from the ratings, it looks good. I am doing this for a class 🙂 I need the recipe
Very good
This lamb recipe is so good! The dijon really makes it. I have tried so many of your recipes and they all turn out great.
The best leg of lamb we have had, my whole house smelled good too!
Making this tomorrow! But my local store was out of the fresh herbs. Would i use the same amount of dry herb instead of the fresh ones or would it be a different amount?
Yes dry herbs are more potent, try 1/4-1/3 of actual amounts
Delicious!!
Made tonight for Mother’s Day may 10th 2020, was delicious. Will make again.
Very simple yet ,very clear information
Were cooking our lamb today, mothers day dinner..
So easy and absolutely fantastic. Have made two of them this week and gotten great raves!!!!
I just made this for mother’s day today, and Lord have mercy…this was the most amazing leg of lamb I’ve ever eaten. Moist, succulent and tasty! This is now my go-to reciepe!!
Just made this last night. First time cooking lamb and second time ever having lamb (first time I did not like it). This recipe was amazing, I made a couple of slight modifications by adding smoked paprika, lime basil, and fresh mint leaves to the rub. I knew this was going to turn out well as soon as rubbed the marinade all over the lamb (it smelled absolutely divine). I also made the hasselback potatoes with sweet potatoes to go along with it (definitely worth making). This had the feel of a super upscale dinner. Definitely a meal you could cook if you are trying to impress someone, would definitely use this recipe again. Absolutely delicious.
The Best! I have cooked lamb several times over the years but this it the absolute Best recipe and the potatoes were great too!
My best roast lamb so far ..Thank you for sharing the recipe!
Thanks for helping this vegetarian make her first Easter Lamb. It was a hit!
Excellent!
I made this New Zealand leg of lamb for
Easter dinner everyone loved it! The recipe is a keeper!!
The only thing I did different was I cooked in a Sous Vide
first then broiled until the outside was browned!
The seasoning was great and the smell in the house was fabulous!
Hi, what temperature did you set your sous vide and how long did you let it broil without over cooking it ? tia