Active Time
15 minutes
Total Time
2 hours 30 minutes
A good roast leg of lamb recipe should be simple and impressive—something you can serve to guests on Easter or Passover that’s equally easy for a special Sunday dinner. This version, flavored modestly with garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper and finished with an easy red wine pan sauce, is just that. (It also has hundreds of reviews from cooks who say it works well, even if you’re new to cooking lamb.) You don’t have to sear it or worry over a fussy marinade—and the hands-on time is just about 15 minutes.
The recipe calls for a semi-boneless leg, which means the shank and blade bones have been removed, but the leg bone, which adds rich flavor, is still in the roast. This helps hold the roast together while making the meat easier to carve than a fully bone-in leg of lamb. It also cuts down on cooking time. The cut has a relatively uniform shape, so it’s easy to roast to your desired doneness; if you insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part, the rest of the leg will be fairly close to that same temperature. To serve, transfer the lamb to a platter and tuck some fresh, fragrant oregano or rosemary sprigs around the roast for a pretty but easy presentation, and pour a sauce made from the drippings into a small bowl for guests to spoon over individual slices.
If a bone-in whole leg of lamb is more than you’re prepared to deal with, consider a butterflied boneless roast, succulent rack of lamb with an herb crust, or grilled lamb chops with polenta.
Ingredients
8 servings
Preparation
Step 1
Pat one (7-lb.) semi-boneless leg of lamb, aitchbone removed, fat trimmed to ¼" thick, and lamb tied, dry and score fat by making shallow cuts all over with the tip of a sharp small knife.
Step 2
Pound 4 garlic cloves to a paste with 1 Tbsp. fine sea salt using a mortar and pestle (or finely chop and mash with a heavy knife) and stir together with 2 Tbsp. chopped fresh rosemary and ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper. Put lamb in a lightly oiled roasting pan, then rub paste all over lamb. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.
Step 3
Place a rack in center of oven; preheat oven to 350°. Roast lamb until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2" into thickest part of meat (do not touch bone) registers 130°, 1½–1¾ hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 15–25 minutes (internal temperature will rise to about 140° for medium-rare).
Step 4
Add ¼ cup dry red wine or broth to pan and deglaze by boiling over medium-high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Season pan juices with kosher salt and pepper and serve with lamb.
Editor's note: This leg of lamb recipe was first printed in the April 2001 issue of ‘Gourmet.’ Head this way for more of our best Easter dinner ideas →
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Reviews (198)
Back to TopI modified a bit by inserting slices of garlic into the flesh 24 hours before cooking - I salted the meat and then left it uncovered (fat side up) in the fridge as I would a chicken. Then while waiting for it to warm up I used a mix of rosemary, salt and olive oil to rub it - I cooked at 400 for about 20 min and then reduced to 350 till done. It was very good and next time I might use the salt and rosemary for the fridge time as well.
L Murphy
Geneva, CH
4/1/2024
Turned out great! Used the boneless leg from Costco. Next time will use more garlic and Rosemary. I pulled from the oven at 135 degrees but next time will pull a little sooner, we prefer a little more rare and will still continue to cook as it rests. Doesn’t need the wine sauce but was glad I made it and a nice addition. My family loved it and will be making again and again! So easy, too.
C Keeling
Athens, Ga
1/20/2024
Amazing recipe! Gonna try this out very soon
Tony Stark
Miami
3/13/2023
I've used this recipe every year for the last maybe 3 years for Easter Christmas and Thanksgiving not necessarily all three holidays in the same year. I love it it's delicious and simple I usually add about a tbsp of stone ground Dijon mustard and it just takes it to the next level always a hit. 😊 Thank you.
Pandamom
Fl
12/17/2022
The lamb turned out great! The sauce on the other hand was SUPER SALTY! 😥 1 Tbs seemed like a but much, but I trusted the 4.7 star recipe. Next time, I'll cut it in half. All, in all.... A simple, straightforward recipe that produces decent results.
Cooking4TheFam
11/9/2022
I’ve cooked leg of lamb several times with great success. This recipe is simple and very straightforward. The results are outstanding. I highly recommend this recipe!
teslaughter
Hayward, Sd
12/26/2020
This was really delicious! I have cooked lamb before with some success, but this was a real winner. I like the meat more toward the well-done side, so I left it to roast a bit longer. The meat was perfectly moist. Didn't do the sauce but next time I will. Highly recommended!
Anonymous
Williamsburg, VA
5/3/2020
A winning recipe, easy and delicious.
mauser
Houston, TX
4/16/2020
Amazing recipe. I substituted chopped anchovies for the salt to give it that umami quality and the lamb turned out incredible. Highly recommend. Even those who don't like lamb loved it.
astyles2
Chappaqua, NY
4/21/2019
I have made this recipe two years in a row for our Easter dinner. This is an excellent recipe! I love to serve this lamb with a mint jelly, Tracklements fresh mint jelly, from Whole Foods is the brand I prefer. This mint jelly pairs perfectly with this lamb recipe.
rebecca587
Philadelphia, PA
4/21/2019
So good! My whole family loved it. We will make this again for sure. Like most reviewers we used the 5.5lb Costco boneless leg of lamb.
jrex1
Brighton, MI
12/31/2018
Followed the recipe, except for following comment suggestions on oven temp. 400 deg for first 20 min., then reduced temp to 350 for 15 min per pound. Perfect.
kebod
Mexico
11/5/2018
Outstanding!!! Definitely making it again.
erikaldavies
Lehigh Valley, Pa
6/16/2018
We also used a boneless leg from Costco. I unrolled the roast and spread the herb mixture over the surface before re-rolling and roasting. The next time, I'd add just a touch of Dijon mustard.
truffaut
Kensington, MD
5/3/2017
I made this for our Easter dinner yesterday. It was DELICIOUS!! Even my picky eater loved it!!
kshofner91
TexasWhite Oal, TX
4/17/2017
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