The result is tender, juicy, and very flavorful! Leftovers are excellent too, heated up or even cold. Lamb is by far my favorite meat. I love its distinctive flavor, and I especially enjoy its fat - I find it more palatable than beef fat. I have quite a few lamb recipes that I make regularly. But when I want to roast a big piece of meat, for a holiday or for a large gathering, my two most common choices are either roasting a whole leg of lamb or making ribeye roast.
Ingredients
You’ll only need a few simple ingredients to make this tasty roast. The exact measurements are included in the recipe card below. Here’s an overview of what you’ll need: Olive oil: This is my favorite oil to cook with and it goes amazingly well with lamb. But if you’d rather use an oil with a higher smoke point, you can use avocado oil instead. Kosher salt and black pepper: If using fine salt, you should reduce the amount you use, or the dish could end up too salty. Spices: I like to use garlic powder, dried cumin, and dried rosemary. Leg of lamb: I typically use a 4 lb. semi-boneless piece, imported from Australia. I get it at my local grocery store (Safeway).
Instructions
How to cook a leg of lamb? My favorite method is to roast it in the oven, and it’s surprisingly easy! Scroll down to the recipe card for detailed instructions. Here are the basic steps: In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, salt and pepper, garlic powder, cumin, and rosemary. Rub the mixture all over the lamb. Place the meat in a roasting pan on a greased rack. Let it rest at room temperature for one hour. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Roast the lamb for 15 minutes in the 425-degree oven. Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part and not touching the bone registers 135 degrees F for medium-rare. This should take about 1 hour and 20 minutes (20 minutes per pound). Remove the lamb from the oven, cover it loosely with foil, and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before carving.
Expert tips
Here are a few tips to ensure this recipe is a success:
If your lamb is bigger than 4 lb. it will need to spend more time in the 375F oven - as mentioned above, about 20 minutes per pound after the initial 15 minutes at 425F. If this is the case, it’s a good idea to loosely cover it with foil after it’s spent about an hour and a half in the oven. Otherwise, the top could get too dark. If the roast is significantly larger than 4 lb. (say, 6 lb.), you can increase the olive oil and spices by 25%. As with all roasts, it’s important to allow the meat to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing it. You want to give the juices a chance to settle and redistribute before you cut into the meat. There’s nothing more depressing to a foodie than cutting into a juicy piece of meat and watching all the yummy juices escape to the cutting board.
Frequently asked questions
Variations
I love this recipe as is and almost always make it as written. But in case you’d like to vary the basic recipe, here are a few ideas for you:
Instead of olive oil, you can use melted butter.Use fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder, as I do in the video below.Vary your spices. I typically use garlic powder, dried cumin, and dried rosemary. But in the video, I use dried thyme instead of cumin and fresh garlic instead of garlic powder. Smoked paprika is another tasty option.
Serving suggestions
Any side dish goes with this recipe. It’s a very versatile main course. I often serve it with one or two of the following side dishes:
Roasted vegetablesRoasted green beansMashed cauliflower
Storing leftovers
Related recipes
👩🏻🍳 I typically publish a new or an updated recipe once a week. Want these recipes in your inbox? Subscribe! You can unsubscribe at any time. But make sure you don’t overcook them or they’ll become dry and inedible. I also enjoy eating cold slices of the leftovers with some homemade quick pickles.
Recipe card
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