Leg of lamb with Garlic and Rosemary
Even if it’s your “first time cooking lamb,” you’ll be “hooked.”
Servings: 8 Servings
Cost: $75
Equipment
- Roasting Pan
Ingredients
- 1 7 lb. semi-boneless leg of lamb, aitchbone removed, fat trimmed to 1/4 inch thick, and lamb tied Since I was cooking just for me and my husband, I used a short cut of about 2 pounds. I reduced the remaining ingredients by half.
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 tbsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- ½ tsp crushed black pepper
- ¼ cup dry red wine or beef broth
Instructions
- Pat lamb dry and score fat by making shallow cuts all over with tip of a sharp small knife.
- Pound garlic to a paste with sea salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a heavy knife) and stir together with rosemary and pepper.
- Put lamb in a lightly oiled roasting pan, then rub paste all over lamb. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. (NOTE: non-stick aluminum foil works just great)
- Preheat oven to 350°F. (NOTE: If doing a smaller cut, preheat oven to 400° and follow the heat and timing recommendations below.)
- Roast lamb in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into thickest part of meat (do not touch bone) registers 130°F, 1 ½ to 1 ¾ hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 15 to 25 minutes (internal temperature will rise to about 140°F for medium-rare). (NOTE: For the smaller cut, I cooked at 400°F for 20 minutes and then 15 minutes per pound at 350°F.)
- Add wine to pan and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Season pan juices with salt and pepper and serve with lamb.
