Roast Leg of Lamb

10 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Resting Time 10 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes

An easy, flavorful Roast Leg of Lamb is perfect for Easter Dinner this year. Tender bone in whole Leg of Lamb roast with fresh rosemary and garlic cloves.

Like Prime Rib, Leg of Lamb is a simple Main Dish Recipe that makes for a stunning Easter dinner and is so much easier than it looks!

Roast Leg of Lamb on roasting pan

ROAST LEG OF LAMB

This delicious and easy lamb recipe is perfect for holiday dinner even if it’s your first time making Leg of Lamb. If you follow some simple guidelines and tips below, you can easily get a flavorful roast lamb every time. There is also a step by step if it’s your first time carving a Leg of Lamb.

One of the most important keys to cooking a beautiful Roast Leg of Lamb is to buy your lamb leg from the butcher and not from the grocery store meat aisle. You want a fresh young (but not too young) lamb and to have the butcher trim the thick outer layer of fat off to make sure it won’t taste like older, tougher mutton.

You can ask the butcher to include the lamb shank but it’s not necessary, unless you plan on using the bones to make a stock later. You do want a bone in lamb for a more naturally flavorful Roast Leg of Lamb, but the shank is more for looks.

Leg of Lamb doesn’t need a marinade, it is a naturally tender cut so leaving in a marinade too long can actually make the meat tougher. Herbs like fresh rosemary or sprigs of thyme plus garlic cloves are enough to make a flavorful lamb roast that is tender and juicy, and easier for you to make!

Roast Leg of Lamb on serving platter

The cooking time for this Leg of Lamb recipe is for a medium rare to medium roast lamb. Like a Prime Rib, a whole leg of lamb is a large cut of meat so there will be a few cuts that are rare and medium well so your Easter dinner guests are sure to get the cut they like best.

Roast Leg of Lamb goes best with side dishes that won’t overpower the rustic, naturally flavorful roast lamb. For a simple and delicious Easter Dinner, serve Leg of Lamb with Parmesan Smashed PotatoesRoasted Vegetables, and French Bread Rolls. Mint jelly is a traditional topping for Leg of Lamb, use the bonus recipe below to turn a store bought mint jelly into a tasty sauce.

Can you make Roast Leg of Lamb in the Slow Cooker?

To make Slow Cooker Leg of Lamb, use a bone in lamb leg about 4 pounds. Prepare and season the lamb according to the recipe instructions. Place lamb in slow cooker. Add 2 cups beef stock to the slow cooker around the lamb. Cook on low for 10 hours. Remove from slow cooker and place lamb fat side up in roasting pan. Drizzle oil on lamb and bake at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes to brown.

HOLIDAY MAIN DISH RECIPES

Roast Leg of Lamb sliced on cutting board

MINT JELLY SAUCE TO SERVE WITH ROAST LEG OF LAMB

  • Ingredients: 2 tablespoons sugar, ½ cup water, ¼ cup vinegar, 1 jar mint jelly, ⅓ cup minced mint leaves, 1 tablespoons lemon juice
  • Simmer sugar, water, and vinegar in a sauce pan over medium low heat for 5 minutes.
  • Whisk in mint jelly until well combined.
  • Stir in lemon juice and mint. 
  • Serve alongside Roast Leg of Lamb or store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

HOW TO CARVE ROAST LEG OF LAMB

    • After the lamb has rested for 15 minutes, place on a clean cutting board. 
    • The bone runs fairly close to the middle at an angle, so you can start carving either side of meat.
    • Slice the roast lamb meat across the grain. Cut straight down to the thickest part of the meat until you reach the bone (like a bone in ham). The cuts are going to be perpendicular to the bone (like a lowercase t) and the meat will still be attached.
    • To cut the slices off of the bone, turn your knife so it’s going the same direction of the bone. Starting at the furthest end of the bone, cut slices off the bone keeping knife close to the bone.
    • If there is leftover meat on the bone, carefully slice off or use bone for a rich stock for Lamb Stew.

Roast Leg of Lamb raw in roasting pan

DELICIOUS EASTER SIDE DISH RECIPES:

HOW TO STORE ROAST LEG OF LAMB

  • Serve: Roast Leg of Lamb can be at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it should be stored.
  • Store: Cool lamb roast completely before placing in an airtight container. Refrigerate for up to 4 days.
  • Freeze: Make sure lamb is completely cool so no moisture collects. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months in a sealed container or freezer safe bag.

HOW TO KNOW ROAST LEG OF LAMB IS DONE

Roast Leg of Lamb is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 145 degrees, according to the USDA Food Safety Website. Measure the doneness by using a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the leg of lamb without hitting bone.

Roast Leg of Lamb on plate with potatoes

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Roast Leg of Lamb

An easy, flavorful Roast Leg of Lamb is perfect for Easter Dinner this year. Tender bone in whole Leg of Lamb roast with fresh rosemary and garlic cloves.
Yield 10 servings
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 20 minutes
Course Dinner
Cuisine American
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 5 pounds leg of lamb , boneless
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 9 cloves garlic , minced
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary , minced
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Rub lamb with olive oil.
  • Mix together the garlic, rosemary, salt and pepper and rub it all over the lamb.
  • Place onto rack in pan and roast for 1 hour, tented with foil.
  • Remove foil and cook for 20 minutes (then start checking for doneness - 145 degrees with thermometer).
  • Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 185kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 91mg | Sodium: 89mg | Potassium: 418mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 12IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 3mg
Keyword: Roast Leg of Lamb

Roast Leg of Lamb collage

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

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Comments

  1. I’m trying to cook this in a Dutch oven. What is your definition of low temperature when it goes into my oven? 200, 225? Can’t find it anywhere in your recipe.

  2. Loving that juicy piece of meat with simple flavors. So easy and yet so flavorful. Simple ingredients always make a great dish

  3. Lamb is such a good protein I always forget about it as it is difficult to find it in my market but I want to use your technique for cooking it, looks perfectly seared.