It’s hard to imagine a holiday or feast day without the traditional Roast Leg of Lamb. Accompanied by heaps of delicious oven-roasted potatoes, it’s a classic Greek dish that is beloved by many.
When planning how large a leg of lamb to order, you should figure on a pound of meat (uncooked) per person. Smaller legs are tastier and yield more tender roasts so opt for two smaller legs rather than an overly large one. Estimate 20-25 minutes of roasting time per pound of meat.
I like to marinate the leg of lamb in the refrigerator for at least an hour or two before roasting.
A Traditional Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes
Ingredients:
- 1 leg of lamb, bone in, trimmed of excess fat (mine was about 9 lbs.)
- 5 lbs. yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges
- For the Marinade:
- 3/4 cup olive oil
- Juice of two lemons
- 4 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 sprigs of rosemary, leaves stripped from stem
- 2 tbsp. coarse salt
- 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
- For the potatoes:
- Olive oil for drizzling
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Juice of two lemons
- 1 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. dried Oregano
- 1 tsp. dried Rosemary
Preparation:
Make the marinade: Add the ingredients to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. The marinade should be thicker in consistency so it doesn’t run off the meat while cooking and forms a bit of a crust.
Place the meat in a large roasting pan. Brush the marinade on in thicker layer covering as much meat as possible. Refrigerate until ready to roast.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Add the potatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Add the garlic powder, oregano, and rosemary and toss the potatoes well to cover.
Place the potatoes in the bottom of the roasting pan and make a well in the center. Lay the leg of lamb on top of the potatoes.
Roast at 425 degrees for 20 minutes. Lower the temperature the 350 degrees and continue to roast uncovered. A 9-pound leg will take approximately 3 hours to cook.
Be sure to baste the potatoes and the lamb with pan juices while they are cooking.
It’s best to use a reliable meat thermometer to gauge doneness because ovens tend to vary. I like to remove the lamb from the oven when a thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the leg reaches 155 degrees (F).
Remove the leg of lamb to a platter, cover, and allow it to rest for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
While the lamb is resting, you can increase the heat of the oven to a low broil setting and give the potatoes a little extra color if needed. Otherwise, remove the potatoes to a platter, give them a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of salt and then serve with the sliced lamb.
