Impress the family this holiday with a beautiful spring Leg of Lamb. You will not believe how simple it is to roast up this wonderful and traditional meal. Prepare the meat the night before, by studding it with garlic and marinating in buttermilk. The next day you can prepare the sides as the lamb roasts in your oven. Pop it in the oven for about two hours, no fuss required. The family will love it!
I mentioned to The Butcher that I would like to make roast lamb for the upcoming holiday. He suggested that I use this beautiful all natural leg of lamb. The Butcher tied it up and had it all ready for me to marinate and roast. Simple and delicious! The boys loved it!
Ask The Butcher for a Bone-in All Natural Leg of Lamb. These legs of lamb range in size from seven to nine pounds. The eight pounder that I roasted should feed between ten to twelve people.
You will also need:
A large roasting pan (I used a disposable 16x13x3)
Two large brining bags…(large plastic bags)
One quart of buttermilk
One head of garlic; peeled and sliced
Handful of fresh flat leaf parsley; chopped
Small handful of fresh mint leaves; chopped
Freshly ground salt and pepper
Cornstarch or rice thickener for Au Jus
The night before you plan to roast the lamb:
Season the lamb with freshly ground salt and pepper. Use a small paring knife to make small slits in the meat and stud each slit with a sliver of garlic. Take your time…this is well worth the effort!
Double up the bringing bags. Place the meat inside the bringing bags and cover with one quart of buttermilk. Tie the bags and place in the refrigerator overnight.
Before you roast the lamb:
Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Let the lamb come to room temperature on the counter for about an hour.
Place the meat in a large roasting pan, season with more salt and pepper. Discard the bags and leftover marinade. Sprinkle the lamb with chopped herbs. Roast in the 375 degree oven, uncovered for one hour fifty minutes to two hours. Check the internal temperature of the meat starting at the one and a half hour mark. You can always put the pan back in the oven, but you cannot un-cook it! Remove the lamb from the oven when the thickest part reaches internal temperature of 140 degrees.
You will find a printable instruction sheet here Roast Leg of Lamb
The link for Apricot Mango Chutney recipe can be found here
http://randsmeatmarket.com/2015/03/29/apricot-mango-chutney/
Click through the gallery for step by step instructions:
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- I will post the recipe for this delicious fresh mango apricot chutney. It was the perfect complement to the lamb. http://randsmeatmarket.com/2015/03/29/apricot-mango-chutney/
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- You will also need one quart of buttermilk….(about 3 cups).
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- I cannot resist loading up on gorgeous fresh spring veggies. I picked up fresh baby carrots, sweet English peas and pearl onions as well as Asparagus…
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- This is what the Bone-in Leg of Lamb looked like when I brought it home from The Butcher. It weighed 8.5 pounds! This piece should feed about 10- 12 people.
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- You can prepare the lamb the night before, and set it in the fridge overnight. Season with freshly ground salt and pepper.
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- This is about one head of garlic, peeled.
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- Slice up the cloves of garlic.
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- Use a sharp paring knife to make small slits in the meat.
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- Push slivers of garlic into the meat….these slivers will melt into the meat as it roasts, leaving a delicious flavor.
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- Cover the entire piece of lamb with slivers of garlic, take your time…it’s worth it!
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- You will need two large bringing bags. Open one up and place it on the counter. Open another bag up and place it inside the first, to double up.
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- Gently lift the piece of lamb onto the opened plastic bags.
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- Pull up the sides….
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- Pour the buttermilk over the lamb into the bag.
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- Tie the first bag into a tight knot.
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- Tie the second bag tightly as well.
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- There you have it…..Set it in the fridge overnight.
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- When you are ready to roast the leg of lamb, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Set the lamb on the counter one hour before you plan to put it in the oven.
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- Chop up a handful of fresh parsley and a small amount of fresh mint. This was about 1/2 cup of parsley and 2 tablespoons of mint.
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- Gently remove the lamb from the plastic bag and place it inside a large roasting pan. Discard the leftover marinade.
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- Season the lamb with additional freshly ground salt and pepper. Cover the entire piece of meat with the chopped herbs.
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- Roast in the oven, uncovered for about 2 hours. It could take a little longer or a little less time, depending on your oven. Use the meat thermometer and remove the meat from the oven when the thickest part has reached 140 degrees.
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- It may seem like overkill, but I used two different meat thermometers. One thermometer can be left in the meat as it roasts in the oven. I found that this one was not accurate. I preferred the smaller Taylor brand thermometer that is used to check the meat after you remove the pan to the counter.
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- I roasted this leg of lamb at 375 degrees in a convection oven. It reached 140 degrees in exactly two hours. I would advise you to start checking the temperature at one hour and thirty minutes so that you can gauge how your oven is cooking.
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- This is what the lamb looked like at 140 degrees after roasting for two hours….melt in your mouth! Remove the entire pan to the counter to rest for 30 minutes. Cover gently with foil. Finish up the sides and make some Au Jus with the drippings…
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- Don’t these gorgeous baby carrots shout springtime!
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- Gently peel the skin, but leave the greens attached for a beautiful effect.
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- Carrots…
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- I simmered the carrots in a large deep sauté pan. Cover the carrots with water, add 4 tablespoons of butter, 1/2 cup of brown sugar and juice of one lemon. Simmer until tender, about 12- 15 minutes. You can trim the greens if you like….but I think they are a beautiful garnish to the lamb platter.
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- Use a large cutting board and a sharp carving knife. Remove all of the strings from the lamb.
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- The Butcher sliced the lamb lengthwise, right above the bone.
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- I left the bottom part whole on the platter, to slice for seconds. This will help keep the meat juicy.
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- Start slicing from the smaller end.
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- Then cut into 1/4 inch slices.
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- The small end will be a little more well done…
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- So delicious!
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- Make your gravy before slicing the meat. To make a simple Au Jus…simmer the pan drippings over medium high heat.
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- Once they come to a boil, add about 2 teaspoons of cornstarch or rice thickener.
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- I prefer to use this small sieve to sprinkle the thickener into the sauce, it prevents clumping.
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- Add more cornstarch or rice starch if you prefer a thicker gravy.
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- Strain through a sieve and serve alongside the lamb.
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- I also served sweet English peas and fresh asparagus….
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- These sweet english peas are so festive, I will include the recipe in my next post.
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- Leg of Lamb makes a beautiful presentation!
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- Have a Happy Easter!
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- I cooked this lamb with Easter in mind, but I am sure that it would also be a wonderful Passover dinner.
Chowfancy 
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look delicious! Thank you for sharing!
look delicious, thank you for sharing!
Reblogged this on chowfancy and commented:
Happy Spring Everyone!
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