Today’s recipe is my Mediterranean roasted leg of lamb with a rosemary crust. This is the ultimate choice for any holiday or festive occasion. Every bite bursts with flavor and tenderness, and I promise your guests will be in awe.
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Why you’ll love this recipe
While beef tenderloin, roast turkey, and ham are all great options for a special occasion, none can quite compare to the mouth-watering taste of a tender, juicy, oven-roasted leg of lamb.
This Mediterranean roasted lamb is rustic and chic at the same time. That’s what I love the most about the myriad of Mediterranean cuisines! The rosemary crust accentuates the natural herbal flavor of this tender meat.
And if you haven’t roasted a leg of lamb before, fear nothing. I’ve perfected this recipe to guarantee you the most delicious and juicy lamb roast every time. So let’s ditch the ordinary and make your next celebration extraordinary with this show-stopping centerpiece!
The symbolism of lamb
Besides being delicious, lamb is often associated with holidays and is considered a festive dish for a few reasons. In many religious traditions, the lamb is a symbolic food that represents sacrifice and redemption.
For instance, lamb is commonly eaten on Easter to honor Jesus’ sacrifice and celebrate new life. The tradition of eating lamb on Easter originates from the Jewish holiday of Passover, where lamb is also consumed during the Seder meal.
Roasted lamb is a traditional Greek Easter dish, while many Mediterranean-Middle Eastern-North African cuisines feature lamb as a staple in celebratory meals like weddings.
Tips for buying lamb
Buying lamb can be intimidating, I know. So, to make make the process easier, the following are my tips for buying the perfect leg of lamb:
- Order it in advance from a trustable butcher.
- Discuss with your butcher if you want a shank-on or shank-off leg of lamb. We picked two shank-off because the upper part (the back haunches) is where the meat is. However, remember that the shank-on leg is more dramatic in appearance.
- Discuss with your butcher if you want your leg of lamb bone-in or boneless. We choose bone-in lamb leg because the bones bring a lot of flavors. If you prefer a boneless leg of lamb, securing the meat with kitchen twine may be a good idea so it keeps its shape.
- Ask the butcher for a market-weight lamb. That means no baby lambs or old lambs. The latter would have that strong mutton taste.
- Ask your butcher to trim the excess fat.
How to season a roast leg of lamb
I made this lamb for the first time with my compadre Daniel Belaid. A French cook. Daniel is of Algerian descent, born and raised in Paris. We both agreed that fresh garlic, kosher salt, freshly grated black pepper, and a couple of rosemary sprigs were all we needed to create this heavenly dish. After all, when it is to Mediterranean cuisine, the simpler, the better.
My tips for seasoning the perfect leg of lamb are:
- Have the lamb at room temperature.
- Make incisions in the meat with a sharp knife and insert the garlic cloves.
- Season the lamb with coarse salt and black pepper. Calculate a teaspoon of salt per pound. There is no need for lemon juice, Middle Eastern spices, or Shawarma marinade. The magic of this dish is its simplicity.
- Save time by chopping the rosemary leaves in a food processor. Adding fresh thyme or fresh parsley, or both, won’t hurt.
- Cover the top of the seasoned lamb with chopped rosemary. This will be the crust.
- Place lamb in a large bowl, and sprinkle with extra virgin olive oil. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it rest for one hour.
Tips for roasting a leg of lamb to perfection
Once the lamb has marinated, it’s time to roast it. By following these tips, I guarantee you can roast your lamb to perfection:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Transfer lamb to a roasting rack. A Dutch oven will work if you don’t have a roasting pan with a rack. Another good option is roasting your lamb on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil.
- Cover the surface of the lamb with aluminum foil to prevent the surface and the rosemary crust from burning.
- Cooking time will depend on how you would like your meat. If you want it rare, the meat thermometer should mark 125°F. If you want it medium rare, it should mark 130°F. If your choice is medium, then 135°F to 145°F. But if you want it well done, look for 155°F to 165°F.
- During the last 3-5 minutes of roasting, uncover the lamb.
- Once you remove the lamb from the oven, cover it with aluminum foil again, and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. By doing this, you’ll prevent the meat juices from going out.
- Save all the pan juices to serve them with the lamb.
How to store leftover lamb
If there is any leftover of this tender lamb, I suggest slicing it and saving it in an airtight container. In the refrigerator, it will last a week and make delicious lamb shawarma wraps.
Mediterranean Roasted Leg of Lamb with a Rosemary Crust Recipe
The following is the recipe card for this superb, easy, stress-free roasted leg of lamb that will be the star of any festive table, including Christmas, Easter, Passover, and Ramadan. Thanks for subscribing to my Youtube channel and visiting my Amazon shop.
Mediterranean Roasted Leg of Lamb Recipe with a Rosemary Crust
Ingredients
- 2 legs of lamb bone-in about 6 pounds each
- 12 cloves garlic peeled and divided
- 2 tablespoons EVOO divided
- Coarse sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 6 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves minced and divided.
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF. Place the rack in the lower third of the oven.
- With a pairing knife, make 6 incisions in each leg of lamb and insert a garlic clove in each.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Cover the outer part of the legs with chopped rosemary.
- Place the meat in a large bowl. Sprinkle with olive oil, cover with plastic wrap, and let stand at room temperature for one hour.
- Place lamb on a roasting pan and cover with aluminum foil.
- Roast for 1 hour 15 to 30 minutes until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 135°F (in case you want it rare) or 145°F (if you want it medium).
- Remove the foil and broil for 3-5 minutes until the lamb is browned.
- Remove from the oven and place the meat on a serving platter. Cover with foil and let rest for about 15 minutes.
- Cut with a carving non-serrated knife and serve warm.
Nutrition
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