Slow Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb is seasoned with herbs, citrus, and garlic…Greek-style! This melt-in-your-mouth succulent lamb is the perfect centerpiece for any holiday dinner.
Lamb is served on family dinner tables around the world during Easter celebrations and if anyone knows how to cook lamb, it’s the Greeks! Try this low and slow foolproof roasting method for the most delicious Boneless Leg of Lamb. Serve it to your family with a side of amazing creamy Mashed Potatoes or any of these 40 Amazing Easter Side Dishes for a fabulous Easter feast. Another great lamb dish is our Herb Crusted Grilled Leg of Lamb if you like your lamb still medium rare.
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How Do You Tie A Boneless Leg of Lamb?
Sometimes boneless legs of lamb come in a netting; if so, then just leave it as is unless you want to stuff it. Tying or trussing a boneless leg of lamb will give you uniform cook and shape.
To do so simply roll the roast into a log shape with or without stuffing inside. Cut kitchen twine to fit nicely around the roast and tie in 2″ intervals making sure it is not tied too tightly making the roast bulge.
Leg of Lamb
Let’s face it. Cooking a large roast for a big dinner can be intimidating, especially if it’s your first time. Lamb is also quite polarizing in that there are some who do not enjoy its game-y flavor. However, do not worry; I am here to hold your hand the entire way!
Don’t be put off by the long cooking time of this recipe. It’s a key component in roasting the best lamb possible and when compared to roasting a stuffed turkey, it takes roughly the same amount of time. Delicious food is worth the wait.
Roasting the lamb using this low ‘n’ slow Greek-style method is guaranteed to give you the most fabulous, fall apart tender lamb. Serve it to the non-believers and they’ll be lamb fans in no time.
Hello NWTN readers, I’m Bernice, the food maker/blogger over at Dishnthekitchen.com. Today I’m excited to bring you my very first recipe for Boneless Leg of Lamb. Let me tell you…the smell of this lamb roasting in my kitchen all day had me drooling!
Later on, when we sat down to tuck into this delicious spread, I served it with this easy Oven Roasted Asparagus (which I made while the lamb was resting) and our favorite new recipe…Hasselback Potatoes.
Fast vs. Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
There are two ways to roast a Leg of Lamb; fast or slow. Cooking the lamb quickly (relative to the latter method) is always a bit of a gamble because the lamb should be cooked to medium rare (145 F).
You must use a meat thermometer to gauge the precise moment just before the lamb reaches this stage, then remove the lamb from the oven and let it rest. As you can imagine, it’s quite easy to overcook lamb this way.
With slow roasting, there is less worry about overcooking the lamb because that’s exactly what you want to do (sort of). Slow-cooking lamb brings it beyond that tough, dry phase, to melt-in-your-mouth goodness. The consistently low temperature breaks down the fat and connective fibers within the meat structure, causing the meat to become fork tender.
Lastly, it is possible to still overcook the lamb using the low and slow methods. Be aware of the size of your lamb roast and the recommended cooking time and temperature.
Bone-in vs. Boneless Leg of Lamb
Generally, bone-in meat will always have more flavor than the same cut with the bone removed. This is because the bone will impart deeper flavors within the meat.
However, roasting bone-in meat takes up more space in the pan (hint: take your roaster along to ensure it fits!) and requires even more cooking time.
Boneless is the way to go for space consideration and ease of serving. This recipe will cook a great leg of lamb, regardless of which style you use.
How to Roast a Boneless Leg of Lamb…Greek Style!
Boneless lamb leg bought from a store will come neatly wrapped in an elastic netting. There’s a reason for this and the ONLY reason you should remove it is if you are planning on stuffing it. Otherwise, leave it as is and read on to find out how to make this delicious recipe.
Step 1 – Remove the lamb from the fridge and allow it to warm up to room temperature. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Carefully make 12 slits around the entire roast and insert the garlic clove halves deep into each slit. Rub the lamb with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Place on a rack in a shallow roasting pan and roast for 30 minutes.
Step 2 – Once the lamb is well browned, remove it from the oven and place (fat side down) in a Dutch oven or lidded roaster containing the rest of the ingredients (other than half the gremolata).
Check to make sure the liquid level is covering 1/4 to 1/3 of the lamb leg. Decrease the oven temperature to 350 F and roast for 2 hours. Top up the liquid level with boiling water, if needed.
Step 3 – Flip the lamb leg over so the fat cap is on top and roast (covered) for another 1 – 1 1/2 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily.
Step 4 – Remove the lid and roast for another 30 minutes to get all those nice crispy bits. Remove the lamb leg from the Dutch oven and place it on a serving dish or cutting board.
Cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Shred the roast and serve with strained pan juices. Serve with more gremolata if desired.
What to Serve with Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb
While this Greek-style roasted lamb leg is delicious on its own, the fresh herb Gremolata with lemon zest and garlic really brightens up the flavor. Who can say no to ‘extra garlic’? Additionally, it makes a great topping to roasted potatoes and any vegetables you might serve with the roast.
Serve garnished with fresh rosemary, roasted lemon, asparagus, and mini hasselbacks for one of the best dinner recipes around.
Why not make Easter dinner an entire Greek feast? Serve it alongside an authentic Horiataki (Greek Salad), warmed briny olives, pitas with whipped feta, lemon roasted potatoes, and finish with baklava, of course!
How to Warm Up Leftovers
The best way to warm up a boneless leg of lamb leftovers is to place all the shredded meat in a saucepan and add the pan juices to cover. Warm over medium heat and enjoy in a sandwich or on mashed potatoes.
Pin it HERE!
Pin it HERE!
Slow Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 5 lb 2.2 kg boneless leg of lamb
- 6 cloves garlic; peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
- Olive Oil
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 cups hot chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 onions; sliced into wedges
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
FOR THE GREMOLATA
- 2 tbsp fresh rosemary; chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tsp dried oregano leaves
- 2 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 tsp sea salt
- 1 lemon; zested and juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Using a small paring knife, make 12 slits at equal intervals all over the lamb. Insert the halved cloves into each slit.
- Rub the boneless leg of lamb with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
- Place the fat side up on a rack over a roasting pan. Roast for 30 minutes or until the lamb has been nicely browned.
- While the lamb is browning, place the rest of the ingredients in a Dutch oven, white wine, chicken stock, bay leaves, thyme, onions, and lemon juice.
- MAKE THE GREMOLATA – Mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- When the lamb has finished browning, place it fat side down in the Dutch oven. Reduce oven temperature to 350 F.
- Add boiling water so that the liquid level covers the bottom 1/3 of the lamb.
- Add half of the gremolata.
- Cover and roast for 2 hours, checking the liquid level after the first hour. Add a bit of boiling water as needed.
- After 2 hours, remove the roast from the oven and turn it over. Roast for another 1 1/2 hours or until the meat pulls apart easily.
- Remove the lid and roast for a further 30 minutes.
- After the lamb has browned nicely, remove it from the Dutch oven and place it on the serving platter. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 20 minutes.
- While the lamb is resting, carefully remove any large bits in the sauce (onions and thyme sprigs), simmer it, and thicken it with a flour slurry, if desired. Top the roast with more gremolata if desired.
Equipment
Nutrition
*adapted from Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb by Recipe Tin Eats.
Comments & Reviews
Yvonne says
I made this for Easter dinner. It was delicious. I used 2 lbs instead of the 5 lbs in the recipe so I cut the other ingredients in half. It came out tender with the meat falling apart. Not dry at all. Cooked it at suggested temperatures and added potatoes and carrots to the crock pot at the beginning. I roasted it in the rack for 20 minutes, then cooked in crock pot for an hr, turned it and cooked for another hr. Then took off lid for 30 minutes. While it rested for 10-15 minutes I made the oven roasted asparagus and added some wonder flour to the liquid in the pot for gravy. I wasn’t a fan of the gremolata raw but it was great cooked in the pot with the roast and veggies. I’ll be making this again! This is one of the fancier dishes I’ve made and so worth it! For those liking a medium roast think of this as a lamb “pot roast”. It’s that tender!
Tara Noland says
So glad you enjoyed it, and yes it is like a pot roast for sure!! Happy Easter!!
Mary says
I’ve made this recipe twice, and my picky-eater children devoured it. Wondering if the comments about it coming out dry are from people using a pot that’s too big; I don’t have a large Dutch oven and used a cast iron pot that barely fit the roast and the other ingredients. The liquid level hardly dropped during cooking! May have to double the gremolata next time, since the kids wanted to slather it on everything. Thanks so much for a delicious Easter dinner!
Tara Noland says
You are so welcome, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe!! Happy Easter!!