Boneless Leg Of Lamb
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Boneless leg of lamb with mint sauce is a favorite for Easter dinner. It’s easy and practically fool-proof. This roast lamb recipe is studded with garlic cloves, rubbed with fresh rosemary, kosher salt and black pepper then roasted to a perfect medium rare.
But don’t save it just for special occasions. While lamb is traditionally served in spring, now that we can easily get Australian or New Zealand lamb in the fall and winter, it can be enjoyed year round. (This boneless leg of lamb recipe is from the Time Life Cooking series. It was originally posted March 2014)
Bone-in lamb or boneless lamb?
You can buy a bone-in leg of lamb, partially boned leg, butterflied leg of lamb or boneless. I prefer a partially boned or boneless leg of lamb as it cooks faster, and is easier to slice. However, people say bone-in legs may be tastier. Whatever you choose, I recommend buying lamb that is ethically raised, grass-fed, and never fed antibiotics!
What is the best temperature to serve lamb?
Remember, once it’s overcooked, you can never go back! Good quality lamb (or beef) should be served medium-rare to medium at the most! Some would argue even that’s too well-done. This is a personal preference, but if you’re going to spend the money on high-quality meat, please don’t overcook it! The best way to ensure the perfect temperature is to use a meat thermometer that you can keep in the meat while it’s in the oven. The thermometer will beep when it’s getting close to the correct lamb temperature.
Lamb temperatures
Pull the meat at 135 degrees F. for Medium Rare. Final internal temperature: 145 degrees F. Pull the meat at 145-150 degrees F. for Medium. Final internal temperature: 155-160 degrees F. For more information on cooking lamb, here’s the American Lamb Board’s temperature chart.
What to do if the leg of lamb has netting?
- Boneless leg of lamb roasts sometimes come wrapped in netting which helps it hold the shape of the lamb leg.
- While it’s safe to roast the lamb with the netting on, I prefer to remove the netting, season the lamb inside and then re-tie it with Kitchen Twine.
Ingredients for the lamb rub
- 5 pound lamb (boneless leg)
- 3 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 3-4 fresh rosemary sprigs, finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 3-4 cloves fresh garlic peeled, and sliced into thin slivers
Making the rub
This rosemary rub can also be used to season lamb chops or a Rack of Lamb.
- Mix salt, rosemary and pepper in a small bowl. This is important because you don’t want cross-contamination. Discard any unused rub.
- Rub lamb all over with rosemary mixture.
- Try to get inside of the lamb.
- You can season the lamb the night before if desired.
Roasting the lamb
- Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees F. Adjust oven racks so that lamb will roast on the bottom third of your oven.
- With a thin, sharp knife, make several deep cuts into the roast.
- Put a sliver of garlic into each cut.
- Coat all sides of meat with rosemary rub.
- In a large roasting pan or Dutch oven, roast lamb, fat side up, at 500 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Lower temperature of oven to 375 degrees and continue roasting until internal temperature reaches the proper temperature to your liking.
- For medium rare, remove at 135 degrees F. (It will continue cooking after you remove it from the oven another 10-15 degrees)
Tips for roasting a whole boneless leg of lamb
- A good rule of thumb is figure about 8 ounces of lamb per person. This amount will yield leftovers.
- Remove lamb from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature roasting.
- Pat lamb with paper towels to remove excess moisture
- Use an Instant-Read Thermometer or one that you can keep in the lamb while it cooks for best results.
- Check temperature at the thickest point of the leg.
- Cover with aluminum foil and allow meat to rest 10-15 minutes on cutting board before slicing.
- For more information on cooking times and temperatures for different cuts of lamb, the Australian Lamb Board cooking chart.
Side dishes for roasted leg of lamb
Skip the mint jelly and serve your lamb with Fresh English Mint Sauce!
A classic pairing is Julienne of Vegetables.
Boneless Leg of Lamb Roast
Ingredients
Roast Leg of Lamb:
- 5 pound boneless leg of lamb
- 3 Tablespoons kosher salt
- 3-4 sprigs Rosemary finely chopped (about 3 tablespoons)
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 3-4 cloves garlic peeled, and sliced into thin slivers
Instructions
Rosemary Rub
- Mix salt, rosemary and pepper in a small bowl. This is important because you don't want cross-contamination.
Roasting Lamb
- Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees F. Adjust oven racks so that lamb will roast on the bottom third of your oven.
- With a long, thin knife, make several deep cuts into the roast. Put a sliver of garlic into each cut. Coat all sides of meat with rosemary/salt rub (discard any un-used herb rub).
- Roast lamb, fat side up, at 500 degrees for 20 minutes.
- Reduce oven to 375 degrees and continue roasting until internal temperature reaches the proper temperature to your liking.
- For medium rare, remove at 135 degrees F. (It will continue cooking after you remove it from the oven another 10-15 degrees).
- If you prefer yours rare, pull at 130 degrees F. For medium lamb, pull at 145 to 150 degrees F.
Notes
- Figure on 6-8 ounces of meat per person for a boneless leg of lamb.
- Cooking time will range from 20 to 25 minutes per pound depending on desired temperature.
- For medium rare, remove at 135 degrees F. (It will continue cooking after you remove it from the oven another 10-15 degrees).
