Greek Roasted Lamb

Submitted by PalatablePastime

"Simple but delicious. You may use dried herbs if desired- substitute 1/3 of the amount called for fresh (just make sure the dried herbs are not old)."

 

• Ready In: 7hrs 20mins
• Ingredients: 10
• Serves: 6-8

ingredients

• 1 (4 lb) boneless leg of lamb
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1⁄4 cup olive oil
• 5 -6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons fresh oregano
• 2 -3 bay leaves
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• assorted root vegetables (optional)

directions

1. Remove bone and fell from lamb, if necessary.
2. Piece together and tie with kitchen twine.
3. Mix remaining ingredients and pour over lamb, coating it thoroughly (make additional marinade if needed).
4. Marinate lamb 6 hours or preferably, overnight.
5. Drain marinade and allow lamb to warm (remove a lot of the chill).
6. Place lamb (along with root vegetables, if desired) in roasting pan and roast at 450F for approximately 15 minutes, then reduce oven heat to 350F and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer reads 145-150F for medium rare, or 160F+ for well done, allowing that the meat will raise about 5 degrees as it rests after cooking.
7. Start checking your meat temp with the instant read thermometer at about 20-25 minutes per pound.
8. Allow the roast to rest undisturbed for about 25 minutes before carving.
9. Reduce any drippings, if desired, to serve with the lamb.

Reviews

[I'mPat]

I deboned a leg of lamb to get 1lb 8.5oz of meat which I trussed up tightly and marinated for 30 hours and because we like our lamb well done (well the DH does though I prefer a little pink) and I was able to achieve this as the outer parts were well done but the center slices had just a hint of pink. I baked it at 175C fan forced oven for 1 1/2 hours, with the meat thermometer registering between 155F and 170F depending at which point I put it at. The smell when initially cooking was garlic euphoria, I did use the full quantity of the marinade and 6 huge cloves (about 5 teaspoons). The gravy from the roast was a surprise in that the garlic did not come out in it but was smooth and creamy. Thank you Sue L, made Aussie/Nz Recipe Swap - July 2009.

 

[noorall]

I cooked this for our New Year's Eve party. I prepared it the night before and marinated it for 24 hours in the fridge, turning and basting a few times during the day. I also cut slits and inserted slivers of garlic in the meat. It was perfectly delicious, several people commented, when usually all the accolades go to my husband's fresh-cooked prawns. Definitely will use this recipe again! For a 5 lb leg I used at least a cup of olive oil, with the other ingredients increased rather randomly as well. Dried herbs worked fine. One point--I found it cooked much faster than indicated at the temperatures recommended here, and I reduced both temperature and cooking times (by almost an hour), but still it was slightly overdone. (No meat thermometer.)

 

[Charlotte J]

This was very tasty with all the herbs and lemon. I even put half of the lemon zest into the marinade. I'll gladly make this again too. I used the leftovers to make Recipe #296521 with Recipe #83189 I made this for *Zaar World Tour 4 game* 2008 for the Greece region. I'm playing on the team *Tastebud Tickling Travelers* Got to love ZWT4! Thank you for posting.

 

[momaphet]

I used the marinade for lamb chops, and they were amazing! I also added rosemary. I used juice from half a lemon, splashed in the olive oil & 2 cloves of garlic, and mairinated about 30 minutes. I made this twice this week, once for my self and once for my son, the first time I broiled the second grilled, both were fabulous thanks Sue L for a great recipe. Made by a Chic Chef for ZWT 4. Greece

 

[bern_klein]

Lamb is always good. Lamb with garlic is better. Lamb that melts like butter in my mouth is the best. The recipe was very good, but the lamb didn't melt like butter. Perhaps I need to marinate longer (in fareness I only marinaded for two hours before cooking).