Recipe #108: Rosemary and Lemon Leg of Lamb

A recent issue of Cooking Light featured various cuts of lamb and how to cook them, which is what inspired my previous post about lamb chops (see Lamb Chops with a Balsamic Reduction)  I knew I had to try a leg of lamb roast at some point, but considering the cost (about $40 for one), I knew I had to save it for a special occasion.  I knew it was the right choice when I invited Nick's parents over for a Mother's Day dinner, and with a couple modifications, this recipe was PERFECT.  Two hours after eating dinner, I'm STILL so excited about this and can't wait to make it again!

I found this recipe on allrecipes.com (do you see a pattern?) and tweaked it a little based on other recipes (in red).  My times here were dead on for a perfectly tender, slightly pink-at-the-bone roast.  If you like prime rib, you will LOVE this, I promise!

Ingredients

• 1 (6 pound) leg of lamb, at room temperature
• 1/4 cup butter, softened
• 6 cloves garlic, halved
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 (6 ounce) can frozen lemonade concentrate, thawed  (I used 12 ounces!!)
• 1 (1 ounce) package dry onion and mushroom soup mix

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).
2. Spread butter generously over the lamb, and distribute garlic clove halves over the meat. Sprinkle with rosemary and pepper. Place the lamb on a rack inside a roasting pan. (Instead, I sprinkled garlic powder over the lamb, along with the pepper and fresh rosemary, sprayed it with olive oil, and put pats of butter on top.)
3. Roast the lamb in the preheated oven for 1 hour.  Flip the roast over and cook another 45 minutes.
4. Mix the lemonade concentrate and dry soup mix together in a bowl, pour over the lamb, and roast an additional 30 minutes. A meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the lamb should read 120 degrees F/58 degrees C for medium-rare or 145 degrees F/68 degrees C for medium-well. Allow the roast to stand for about 20 minutes before slicing. 

 

Prepped for roasting

 

All done!

 

Nick cutting the bone out

 

Victory!

 

With two of my favorite sides:  Sweet potatoes and asparagus