Recipes Ingredients Meat & Poultry Lamb Recipes Roast Leg of Lamb With Garlic and Herbs 4.4 (52) As elegant as it is easy, this garlic and herb-roasted leg of lamb makes a stunning main dish. Servings: 10 Jump to recipe This leg of lamb recipe makes a simple yet elevated centerpiece dish for a special dinner. Lamb might not be as well known as roast turkey and spiral-cut ham, but it's an excellent option for Easter or another holiday. Garlic, lemon, and fresh herbs add flavor to this slow-roasted dish, and that's not even the best part: As the lamb roasts, it creates a pan of delectable drippings. They're perfect for drizzling over the carved lamb and spooning over any and all side dishes. Credit: Jake Sternquist Cooking a Leg of Lamb The Best Technique: Leg of lamb is one of the most tender cuts of lamb and it takes well to many cooking techniques. Slow-roasting is our absolute favorite. Roasting the meat low and slow gives the garlic and herb flavors time to permeate every inch of the meat, leaving it tender, succulent, and ready to slice off the bone. The Flavor and texture: In terms of texture and cookability, a leg of lamb is like a beef rib roast. They cook very similarly with this slow roasted technique. What is different is the flavor; lamb has a stronger and more gamey flavor. The robust flavors of lemon, garlic, and herbs used in the marinade are the perfect complement to the lamb. The Best Cut of Lamb to Use: Since the meat cooks for several hours (about twenty minutes per pound), be sure to pick out a bone-in leg of lamb at the butcher counter. The bone works as an insulator and heat conductor, which allows the meat to retain moisture better and stay nice and tender without drying out. Bring the meat to room temperature before roasting: Since this leg of lamb marinates in the refrigerator for several hours, it’s important to let it sit at room temperature for at least thirty minutes before transferring it to the oven. It will cook more evenly when it’s not ice-cold from the refrigerator since the innermost part of the meat will be closer in temperature to the exterior parts. Why Marinating Is Important With quick-cooking cuts of meat like chicken breasts and fish marinating isn't always necessary but it can be super beneficial with large cuts of meat like this. This is for two reasons: Flavor: The main purpose of marinating is to enhance the flavor of the food you’re cooking, whether it be meat, fish, vegetables, etc. Choose flavors for the marinade that will complement what you’re cooking. For this leg of lamb, we use a handful of simple but effective ingredients. First, thin slivers of garlic are pressed into small slits in the meat; as the roast cooks, the fat from the meat will slowly cook the garlic, releasing its flavor deep into the leg of the lamb. Several hours before it goes into the oven, the meat is coated in a marinade made with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, and a combination of fresh wintery herbs—oregano, thyme, and rosemary. The meat can hang out in the marinade for up to twenty-four hours—just be sure to baste it every few hours to make sure the entire surface of the meat is exposed to some of the marinade. Tenderizing: The acid in marinades (in this case, lemon juice) can help break down the tougher proteins in the cut of meat, leaving it more tender than before. It doesn’t take long to start working—just a few hours for a cut of meat as big as this. Ways to Serve Leg of Lamb Whether serve roasted leg of lamb for a dinner party or as a holiday main, you’ll need some dishes to serve alongside. Mashed potatoes and creamy polenta are perfect for pooling the pan drippings in lieu of gravy. Roasted or baked potatoes are also a great option. If roasting potatoes, use some of the same flavors found in the lamb, such as garlic and rosemary. Baked potatoes are delicious with some butter, sour cream, and a drizzle of the drippings. Simply prepared vegetables, such as sautéed green beans, steamed carrots, or braised cabbage are colorful and easy enough to pull off for a holiday dinner. A bright green salad with a zippy, acidic vinaigrette is just the thing to cut through the gamey flavor of the lamb. Directions Credit: Jake Sternquist Tuck garlic into slits in lamb: Use a paring knife to make a dozen small slits in the meat. Tuck garlic slivers into slits. Place meat in a baking dish. Credit: Jake Sternquist Make marinade and pour over lamb: In a small bowl, stir together oil, lemon juice, oregano, thyme, rosemary, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Pour marinade over lamb, turning to coat. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate, basting occasionally with the marinade, for at least 8 hours and up to 24 hours. Credit: Jake Sternquist Credit: Jake Sternquist Preheat oven; let lamb sit at room temp and prep roasting pan: Preheat oven to 325°F with rack positioned to fit the lamb in a roasting pan. Remove lamb from refrigerator, uncover, and let sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat a roasting pan with oil. Credit: Jake Sternquist Move lamb to roasting rack and cook, basting: Transfer lamb to a rack fitted in the prepared pan, reserving leftover marinade. Season meat with salt and pepper. Roast lamb, basting every 20 to 30 minutes, first with the reserved marinade, and then with juices that accumulate in the pan. An instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the meat, not touching the bone, should read 145°F when the lamb is medium-rare. Credit: Jake Sternquist Credit: Jake Sternquist The lamb will need to cook for about 20 minutes per pound (2 hours for a 6-pound leg of lamb; 2 hours and 40 minutes for 8 pounds). Transfer lamb to cutting board and cover: Remove pan from oven and transfer lamb to a cutting board. Cover to keep warm; let rest for 20 minutes before carving. Pour pan juices into fat separator and spoon off fat: Pour pan juices into a fat separator or glass measuring cup; spoon off any fat that rises to the surface and discard. Cover juices to keep warm while lamb rests; add any juices that collect as the lamb sits. If you don't have a fat separator, use a glass measuring cup to hold the pan juices. Credit: Jake Sternquist Carve lamb and serve: Carve lamb, and arrange slices on a large warm platter; drizzle with reserved pan juices just before serving. Credit: Jake Sternquist Storing Leg of Lamb We recommend only carving as much lamb as you think will be eaten in that sitting. The lamb will stay much more moist and tender if it remains on the bone. Place leftover, uncarved lamb and the pan juices in separate airtight containers and refrigerate for up to 2 days. To freeze cooked leg of lamb, it helps to first break down the cooled meat into more manageable portions. Once you have your hunks of meat, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and place in a freezer-safe re-sealable bag. Freeze for up to 2 months. Reheating To reheat portions of lamb, place them in a baking dish just big enough to fit, add some of the reserved juices, and cover the dish with aluminum foil. Bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit until warmed through—the timing will vary depending on the size of the leftovers, but start checking on it at around seven minutes. If you’re reheating frozen lamb, we recommend thawing it out in the refrigerator overnight, and then proceeding with the same reheating instructions. More Lamb Recipes to Try: Martha’s Butterflied and Roasted Leg of Lamb Seared Lamb Loin Chops Roasted Marinated Lamb With Lemon and Rosemary Potatoes Grilled Lamb Loins Irish Lamb Stew Updated by Riley Wofford Riley Wofford Riley Wofford is a recipe developer, food stylist, and writer with over 15 years of experience and holds a Professional Culinary Arts diploma from the International Culinary Center. In addition to decorvow.com, Riley's work can be found in TODAY.com, Delish, Food52, and Marley Spoon.