Cooking Boneless Leg Of Lamb In The Oven

Leg of Lamb With Garlic and Rosemary

April 1, 2017

Whole leg of lamb on a platter with fresh rosemary and a few slices carved.

Photo by Andrew Purcell, Prop Styling by Paige Hicks, Food Styling by Carrie Purcell

This old Gourmet leg of lamb recipe has reviews from more than a hundred users, almost all of whom love it. So take it from them: even if it's your "first time cooking lamb," you'll be "hooked."

Ingredients

8 servings

1 (7-pound) semi-boneless leg of lamb, aitchbone removed, fat trimmed to ¼ inch thick, and lamb tied

4 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon fine sea salt

2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

½ teaspoon black pepper

¼ cup dry red wine or broth

Step 1

Pat lamb dry and score fat by making shallow cuts all over with tip of a sharp small knife.

Step 2

Pound garlic to a paste with sea salt using a mortar and pestle (or mince and mash with a heavy knife) and stir together with rosemary and pepper. Put lamb in a lightly oiled roasting pan, then rub paste all over lamb. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Step 3

Step 4

Roast lamb in middle of oven until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into thickest part of meat (do not touch bone) registers 130°F, 1½ to 1¾ hours. Transfer to a cutting board and let stand 15 to 25 minutes (internal temperature will rise to about 140°F for medium-rare).

Step 5

Add wine to pan and deglaze by boiling over moderately high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Season pan juices with salt and pepper and serve with lamb.

How would you rate Leg of Lamb With Garlic and Rosemary?

Reviews (140)

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!
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!
A winning recipe, easy and delicious.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Outstanding!!! Definitely making it again.
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.
I made this for our Easter dinner yesterday. It was DELICIOUS!! Even my picky eater loved it!!
Wow. Beyond amazing and this was my first time cooking lamb! I was only feeding three people and opted for boneless. It was just under a 2 lb roast and was perfect; no leftovers and everyone wanted more but didn't need any. The meat was so good, the sauce/gravy really wasn't needed. Next time I think I'll use the immersion blender to smooth it out. Regardless, this is definitely going into the family's "Tested Best" recipe collection.
Absolutely delicious and easy. Did not need any sauce. Is a real winner!
Never wanting to be strapped down to the details of a recipe... I made this with a few modifications. I made the rub, then added the wine directly to it. Poured that over the lamb to soak for a few hours at room temperature. Broiled for about six-eight minutes total. Family loved it. We have another lamb recipe with more spices (cinnamon, coriander, cumin & ) that the family likes better.
i made the yesterday for Easter, and it was pretty spectacular. The lamb leg was a little larger than seven pounds, so used 7 garlic cloves and upped the rosemary. I used anchovies instead of salt, and roasted 20 minutes at 425, then about an hour and fifteen minutes at 350. Perfectly medium, greT flavor.
Superb flavor, but I should have had a few lessons in carving first!