Leg of lamb is a little more challenging than cooking a rack of lamb, and since it's larger you'll need more people to feed. This recipe is a common Greek method of cooking lamb, taught to me by my grandmother. The key is the thinly slivered garlic. This recipe serves eight to ten people.
Instructions
1. Slice the whole garlic cloves lengthwise into slivers thinner than a dime. Set aside.
2. Strip the leaves off two rosemary sprigs and return the stripped sprigs to the rest. Mince the rosemary leaves and set aside.
3. Heat the oven to 500 degrees. If the lamb is tied with butcher's string, cut this off now.
4. Using just the tip of a thin, sharp paring knife, spear the lamb about 1/3-inch deep and insert a sliver of garlic into the slit. Stick the sliver all the way in; cut deeper if necessary.
5. Repeat over the top and sides of the leg. It is not necessary to insert garlic in the part of the leg that will face down in the roasting pan, but you can if you wish.
6. Once garlic is in, coat the lamb with a thin sheen of olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt, pepper and minced rosemary leaves.
7. Place the reserved rosemary sprigs in the bottom of a roasting pan and set the lamb on top.
8. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, then lower heat to 350 and cook another hour or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. At this temperature, part of the lamb will be cooked medium and medium-well, but most will be medium-rare.
9. Let lamb rest for 20 minutes before transferring to a cutting board and carving. Use the pan juices left behind in the roasting pan for a sauce, if desired.
Tags: rosemary leaves, rosemary sprigs, This recipe
