Recipe #233: Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb

I made lamb again.  I had a craving for roasted lamb this time as opposed to my usual lamb chops craving, so I found a nice looking 3.5 lb boneless leg of lamb at the store today.  I grabbed fresh rosemary and then looked for a decent recipe that might be a little different than what I'd posted before (see this link).

I was excited about this recipe because it was less of a dry seasoning and more of a marinade.  It was worth the extra run out to the store after I realized I didn't have butcher's twine.  This came out perfect, with medium-rare bits more in the middle and more-cooked bits at the ends.  There are plenty of leftovers and I plan on using those (and the leftover mashed potatoes) to make some shepherd's pie (see this link).

This recipe is from http://www.skinnytaste.com.  My comments are in red.

INGREDIENTS:

• 5 cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• 3 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
• 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1 1/4 tsp kosher salt, more or less to taste
• fresh ground black pepper
• 3 1/2 - 4 lb uncooked trimmed lamb leg, boneless, rolled and tied

DIRECTIONS:

After you let the lamb roast sit out for about an hour to come up closer to room temperature, Preheat oven to 375ºF. Line a roasting pan with aluminum foil and place a rack in the pan.  

Combine crushed garlic, rosemary, lemon juice, mustard, olive oil, salt and pepper;mix well and rub mixture all over lamb. Roll the lamb and use butcher's twine to tie it together and place it on the prepared roasting pan.  Again, do this about an hour before preheating the oven.

Roast in the oven until medium-rare and a meat thermometer inserted in center reads 135-140ºF, anywhere from 70 minutes and up depending on the size of your roast.  (My 3.5lb roast was perfect at 70 minutes)  Remove the lamb and let it rest about 15 minutes on a cutting board. Keep in mind the temperature will increase a few degrees once it rests.

Slice lamb into 1/4-inch thick slices and place on a serving platter.