A quick, easy, versatile herby roast leg of lamb that is packed with flavour. Quick enough for a midweek treat or Sunday roast.
I grew up eating lamb, it's a staple meal in many South African households. Whether you were eating "normal" lamb or Karoo lamb. The lamb here in New Zealand is amazing, it's just as good as what we were getting in South Africa.
Nothing is more decadent and easy to make as a nice roast leg of lamb on the weekend. Which is a really versatile dish that can be served with roasted vegetables, potatoes, or even with hummus and tzatziki (as pictured above).
Ingredients
Lamb - here in New Zealand you can get a complete leg of lamb, a hind-quarter or a fore-quarter. My preferred cute is a fore-quarter, simply because it's usually just the two of us, and I can butterfly the leg for quicker cooking.
Olive oil - I have good quality olive oil in my pantry at all times. I find olive oil can really stand up to the robust flavour of the lamb.
Lemon juice - a bit of acidity goes a long way.
Salt - this recipe may seem like too much salt, but trust me, if Salt Fat Acid Heat has taught me anything, large pieces of meat need a decent amount of salt.
Top Tip - if you have the time, pat the leg of lamb down with paper towels, salt and place it back into the fridge overnight.
Herbs and spices - the mix I have below in the recipe are what I usually put on my herby inspired roast leg of lamb, and are pantry staples. I purposefully when with garlic powder (or flakes) because I don't always have fresh garlic on hand. Feel free to experiment with flavours.
Secret Ingredient (optional extra) - Aromat, if you have it in your pantry, add a teaspoon and you will not regret it.
Special Equipment Needed for a Perfect Roast Leg of Lamb
Every kitchen should have a great roasting dish and a meat thermometer. Meat thermometers take the guesswork out of roasting or cooking any large piece of meat.
Tips for using a meat thermometer
- Try to not touch any bone with the meat thermometer. But place the thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat to gain the correct temperature.
- The internal temperature of the meat will rise an additional 2-3 degrees Celsius or 4-5 degrees Fahrenheit once removed from the heat.
Internal Temperature for Lamb:
- Rare: 46 - 48°C / 115 - 120F
- Medium-rare: 48 - 52°C / 120 - 125F
- Medium: 54 - 57°C / 130 - 135F
- Medium-well: 60 - 62°C / 140 - 145F
- Well-done: 65 - 68°C / 150 - 155F
Note - Lamb and beef roasts have the same internal temperatures.
Average cooking time or a leg of lamb - per kg
When the leg of lamb has not been butterflied and cooked as a whole, generally the lamb will be roasted for 20 minutes per 450grams (1 lb), plus an extra 20 minutes. For example, a leg of lamb that is 1.5 kg in total will cook for approximately 80 minutes.
This also takes into consideration that the cooking time begins at 200°C (fan-forced) for the first 20 minutes and then at 180°C for the remaining time.
Recipe Card
Herby Roast Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 1 ½- 2 kg lamb leg
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon lemon juice
- 3 - 4 teaspoon table salt depending on the size of the leg of lamb
- 1 teaspoon white pepper
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 ½ teaspoon thyme
- 2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon dried parsley
Instructions
- Pat the leg of lamb dry using a paper towel. Then place on a chopping board bottom-side up. Slice along the bone to create a cavity for the spices and to reduce the cooking time. A forequarter leg of lamb can be completely butterflied, while a hind-quarter would be more difficult to butterfly.
- Liberally apply salt to the bottom and top of the lamb roast. A smaller leg of lamb can get away with 2 teaspoon of salt, but crank it up to 4 if you have a large 2kg leg of lamb.
- Combine the olive oil, lemon juice and herbs, and massage into the leg of lamb. Place on a roasting rack or place the lamb on slice onions and garlic within a roasting dish. Allow the lamb to rest anywhere from 30 minutes to 1 hour. If you are resting the lamb for longer than an hour - you can leave it in the fridge.
- Before you roast your leg of lamb, allow it to come to room temperature for approximately one hour.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C (fan-forced). Roast the lamb for 20 minutes, then turn down the oven to 180°C and cook for a further 40 minutes, or until the internal temperature is 60 - 62° C for medium-well lamb.
- BUT - if you have completely butterflied the leg of lamb, you will reduce the cooking time by half. In that case - roast for 20 minutes at 200°C for 20 minutes, and turn down the oven to 180°C and cook for a further 20 to 30 minutes.
- Place the roast leg of lamb on a plate, cover with foil and allow to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving and serving.
Notes
- Rare: 46 - 48°C / 115 - 120F
- Medium-rare: 48 - 52°C / 120 - 125F
- Medium: 54 - 57°C / 130 - 135F
- Medium-well: 60 - 62°C / 140 - 145F
- Well-done: 65 - 68°C / 150 - 155F
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate. If scaling the recipe remember to scale your cook and bakeware accordingly. All temperatures stated are conventional, unless otherwise stated. Recipes tested in grams and at sea level.
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