Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

Sue and I were having a discussion about trying something new the other day. We both decided on lamb because we couldn't remember the last time we had eaten it. I'm pretty sure it was way back in our childhood. Mom used to make lamb chops in mushroom sauce that I can vaguely remember. 

Lamb isn't usually available at our local grocery store - the joys of living in a teeny tiny town - but as luck would have it they happened to have in a few leg of lambs the day after we had our discussion. 

It had to be fate. 

Although fairly pricey, I knew I had to give it a try! 

Slow roasting the lamb makes it super tender and really infuses all those lovely flavors into the meat. I made this for a Greek dinner I prepared for the family, serving it with our Greek potatoes (recipe HERE), and a Greek salad using our Feta Cheese Dressing (Recipe HERE), some pita and tzatziki, and lastly, some Greek briam (I used the recipe from HERE). And lastly, some homemade Baklava for dessert (recipe HERE).

The lamb was really the cherry on top of this meal. 

Next thing I'd like to try is lamb burgers - I just need to get my hands on some ground lamb. 

Slow Roast Leg Of Lamb

Ingredients

1 leg of lamb, bone in, approx 6 lbs. 

1 head of garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

salt & pepper

2 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp paprika

2 medium onions, peeled and quartered

2 - 3 sprigs fresh rosemary

9 - 10 sprigs fresh thyme

2 tsp dried oregano

2 bay leaves

1 cup white wine

juice of 2 lemons

hot water

Directions

Peel the skins of all the garlic. Stick a small knife into the lamb and make a slit. Press in a sliver of garlic. Repeat with as many slivers of garlic as you can. 

Preheat your oven to 550 and place rack in the middle position. 

Place the leg of lamb in a roasting pan that just fits the leg. Drizzle with a little of the olive oil (about a tablespoon or so). Season with half of the salt and pepper, garlic powder, and paprika. Flip the leg over and repeat. 

Place the leg off lamb in the preheated oven and roast, uncovered for 15 minutes. Flip over and roast another 15 minutes. 

Remove lamb from the oven and reduce the heat to 350. 

Place the quartered onions around the lamb, adding any leftover garlic. Add the herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano). Pour the wine in over the lamb then squeeze in the lemon juice. Pour in the remaining olive oil. 

Add in enough hot water to cover the lamb about 1/3 of the way up. Add in the bay leaves. 

Cover and place the lamb in the 350 oven for 2 hours. Baste the lamb once an hour, adding a bit more water if necessary. After 2 hours, flip the lamb over and continue to cook for another hour or so. (Use a meat thermometer to ensure meat is done)

Remove the lamb from the oven, baste with the pan liquids, and allow to rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

Sue was our carver and did a great job. We served the lamb with some of the pan liquid drizzled on top. It's too delicious to go to waste!

We strained the pan juices and saved it to add to homemade soup! So much flavor :)

Our first foray into the world of lamb went very well. We can't wait to make more dishes using lamb - it has such a different essence than beef, pork, or chicken. 

I'll be on the look out for ground lamb now. What's your favorite lamb recipe? Feel free to share in the comments below!