Roasted Leg Of Lamb with Gremolata and Red Wine Gravy

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. 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 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 you're 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.

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 sautéed 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.

The Wrap Up

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.

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