A well-prepared roasted leg of lamb is one of those things that everyone should enjoy at least once in their lives. Yes, lamb is relatively expensive when compared to pork or chicken. But, for this post, I bought a leg of lamb that was just under $40, and I got four meals out of it for my wife, myself, and our toddler. So, cost-wise, it isn't that bad.
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The problem is that you don't want to spend $40 on a leg of lamb and screw up cooking it. That's an expensive mistake. So today, I am going to walk you through making a roasted leg of lamb in hopes that the next time you have a special occasion or lamb is on sale, you buy it and can confidently cook it. Let's get to it.
The Lamb
The lamb I bought was from New Zealand. I don't love that my lamb came from the other side of the world, but there was no other option at the store because that's where most of our lamb comes from. There are farms in Nova Scotia that raise lamb. Unfortunately, I don't live in an area where I have easy access to it.
My leg of lamb cost $36.70 for just over 2 kg or just under 5 lbs. I bought it frozen and defrosted it in the fridge for two days.
The Lamb Rub
Before cooking the lamb, you need to make a rub for it. Combine a quarter cup of yellow mustard with a quarter cup of red wine and mix it with a tablespoon each of chopped garlic and fresh chopped rosemary. There is nothing fancy or difficult about this rub, but the flavour complements the lamb perfectly.
Starting the Gravy
The lamb needs some sauce to go with it, so why not start making it right away? Slice a cup of onion and a cup of cremini mushrooms and put them in the bottom of a roasting pan. Then, put the rack in the pan.
Preparing the Lamb
Take your defrosted lamb out of its package and put it on your roasting pan. Take a sharp knife and make a few shallow slices across the surface of the lamb. These cuts will help the flavour of the rub get into the meat. Now, pour the rub over the lamb and rub it all over.
Season the lamb with salt and pepper, then pour a cup of water into the bottom of the pan. Roast the lamb at 400°f for about twenty minutes per pound. My lamb took about an hour and a half. Check your lamb with a meat thermometer. You want an internal temperature of 145°f. At that temperature, the lamb will be medium-well done. The meat will be tender and juicy, but it won't really be pink at all. If you'd like your lamb a little rarer, roast it to 135°f.
Making Lamb Gravy
Once your lamb is cooked, take it out of the roasting pan and set it aside to rest, loosely covered with foil for 10 to 15 minutes. Drain any excess fat out of your roasting pan. Put your roasting pan on your stove and turn the burner to medium. Sprinkle two tablespoons of flour into the pan and stir to mix. Then add half a cup of red wine.
Cook and stir until the wine is mostly evaporated, then add two to three cups of water or stock. Bring the liquid to a boil, turn the heat down to medium-low and cook until the gravy is thick. You'll need to stir it every minute or so. When you add the red wine, scrape the pan's bottom to loosen any stuck bits of food. Once the gravy is thick, taste it, and season it with salt and pepper as needed. Pour it into a gravy boat and serve. If you love making gravy from scratch, you might also enjoy my Herb and Garlic Roasted Beef which uses a similar technique.
Gremolata
I really wanted my lamb to have a pop of fresh flavour, so I decided to make gremolata with it. You can do this, or not, that's up to you, but it does add to the lamb.
To make the gremolata combine one cup of chopped parsley with one teaspoon of minced garlic, the zest and juice of one lemon, and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle half of the gremolata over the roasted leg of lamb, and save the rest to serve over slices of the lamb.
Finished Lamb
To serve the lamb, cut it into thin slices and garnish it with a bit of the gremolata. I like crispy roasted potatoes and steamed vegetables on the side, but rice and Greek salad pairs nicely with it too.
Like I said in the introduction to this post, I got four meals out of this leg of lamb. The first meal was the roasted leg of lamb with potatoes and vegetables. The second meal was slices of lamb, warmed with a bit of shawarma spice and served over rice and Greek salad with garlic mayo. The third meal was lamb with rice and vegetables.
For the fourth meal, I cut all of the remaining meat off the leg and heated it with sauteed mushrooms and onions. Then I poured the left over gravy into the pan with a little water and simmered it until the lamb was basically falling apart. I toasted a brioche bun, brushed it with dijon mustard, topped with the lamb, mushroom, and onion mix, and a bit of mozzarella cheese. I served that with a bit of salad. If you enjoy lamb, you should also check out my Lamb Gyro Bowl for another delicious way to use this incredible protein.
Storage and Leftovers
Leftover roasted lamb keeps well in the fridge for three to four days when stored in an airtight container. You can also freeze sliced lamb for up to three months. When reheating, add a splash of stock or water to the pan to keep the meat from drying out. Low and slow is the way to go when warming lamb back up -- a covered pan on medium-low heat works perfectly.
The gravy can be stored separately in the fridge for up to a week or frozen for up to three months. It reheats beautifully on the stove with a little water stirred in to loosen it up.
Recipe
Ingredients
Lamb
- ¼ cup Mustard
- ¼ cup red wine
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped Rosemary
- 1 tablespoon chopped Garlic
- 1 cup sliced onion
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 1 cup of water
Gravy
- 2 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup red wine
- 2 cups water or stock
- salt and pepper to taste
Gremolata
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- the juice and zest of one lemon
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Lamb
- Preheat your oven to 400°f.
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the mustard, red wine, rosemary, and garlic and mix well. Put the onions and mushrooms in the bottom of a roasting pan with a rack set over them.
- Put the leg of lamb on the rack. Make four to five shallow slices across the lamb's surface.
- Rub the lamb with the wine and garlic mixture, then season generously with salt and pepper.
- Pour a cup of water into the bottom of the roasting pan, then put it in the oven and roast for 1 ½ hours or about 20 minutes per pound.
- Take the roasted lamb out of the pan and set it aside, loosely covered with foil to rest, for 10 to 15 minutes.
Gravy
- Pour any excess oil out of the roasting pan, then sprinkle in the flour.
- Put the roasting pan on the stove over medium heat and stir in the flour. Add the red wine and scrape the pan to remove any stuck bits of food.
- Once the wine has mostly evaporated, add in the water or stock and bring to a boil.
- Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer the gravy for about ten minutes or until it is thick. Make sure to stir it every minute or so. Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste, then serve.
Gremolata
- In a medium mixing bowl, combine the parsley with the garlic, lemon juice, zest, and salt. Mix well. Sprinkle half the gremolata mixture over the whole lamb leg. Reserve the rest to serve over the lamb once it is sliced.
- Once the lamb is roasted, make gravy with cornstarch, red wine, and water. Garnish the lamb with parsley and lemon gremolata
Final Thoughts
Lamb should not be intimidating. The only thing you need to worry about is that you don't overcook it. That's all. Otherwise, it will pair with just about anything, and it has amazing flavour. What's not to love about it?
Next time you see it on sale, have a special occasion, or want something a little different, get a leg of lamb and try this recipe. Even if you don't love lamb, you probably will after you try it done the way I described in this post. If you are looking for more roast ideas, I would also recommend my Perfect Pork Roast with Maple Dijon Gastrique -- another wonderful centrepiece for a family dinner.
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