This recipe combines warm Middle Eastern influenced flavors like pomegranate molasses, turmeric, cumin, garlic and honey to perfectly flavor a roasted leg of lamb that’s cooked low and slow in the oven to give you a showstopping main.
I love roasted lamb. Cooking lamb is actually one of the easiest and most hands off things. Marinade your meat- this can be done overnight, a couple hours before, or even right before roasting. Then, stick it in the oven for the magic to happen. Patience is all you need! If you want an alternate way of preparing lamb, a slow cooker is definitely the way to go.
Prepping the lamb:
We always have the butcher trim as much of the fat as possible, personal preference. When it comes to marinading, it can be as simple as herbs and olive oil/butter, but I liked the combination of spices I saw listed for Lin’s food’s recipe. Garlic, tangy pomegranate molasses, honey, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin, turmeric, saffron and rosemary. Bold flavors done in restraint to let the taste of the lamb come through.
Roasting your leg of lamb:
You want your oven hot but not too hot. An ideal range would be between 160-170 C (320-340 F). Wrap the pan the lamb is in tightly with foil to create a parcel that lets the lamb get steamed. We remove the foil for the last half an hour to get that crispy brown skin on the surface. After 3 hours, check the lamb by using a fork to pull the meat away from the bone and see if it’s tender enough. If not, cook longer. Cooking longer (at a temperature not above 170C) allows the collagen in the lamb to break down and tenderize. Rest the lamb after cooking for 20 minutes or so before cutting into it so that all the juices remain trapped inside.
Serve with:
I served this with plain basmati rice that I topped with crispy onions and pomegranate seeds. You can make a gravy as I outlined in the recipe below very easily using the pan juices, and use it to pour over the rice or a side of potatoes.
Stay tuned for my favorite mashed potato recipe coming soon to the blog, or make some classic roasted potatoes. Root vegetables are always a win, but I like the whole rice and lamb combo with a simple side salad, makes for a really complete meal.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and please comment below with any questions or feedback!
Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- 5 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 2 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- juice of 1 lemon squeezed
- 2 tablespoon liquid saffron see note
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 sprigs rosemary, leaves only finely chopped
For the lamb:
- 1 leg of lamb, 1.5-2kg (3.5-4.5 pounds)
- 3 large onions, sliced
- 1 cup chicken stock
For the gravy:
- 4 tablespoon flour
- 1/2-1 cup water
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170 C (325 F)
- Using a sharp knife,slash the leg of lamb all over making deep cuts
- Whisk together all the marinade ingredients
- Massage the marinade into the lamb, pushing it into the cuts you made and all over.
- Scatter onions all along the bottom of your baking sheet, then place lamb leg on the onions, putting the fattier juicer side of the leg upside down directly touching the onions.
- Pour the chicken stock on the onions, then cover pan tightly with foil and place in preheated oven.
- Roast for 3-4 hours . After 3 hours, check if lamb is tender by using a fork to lift a chunk of meat off the bone. If it isn't tender enough, return to the oven for another hour.
- Remove foil, turn lamb around and roast uncovered for a further 30-45 minutes to brown.
To make gravy:
- Remove the lamb and onions from the pan, then place the roasting pan with the pan juices on the stove top. Remove a little of the fat off the top, and heat over medium heat until liquid bubbles.
- Whisk in the flour once the liquid bubbles, and keep whisking while liquid reduces to a thick gravy consistency. Once it thickens considerably, add 1/2-1 cup of water and whisk this in until you get your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and strain into a bowl.
ashok says
Thanks For Sharing this amazing recipe. My family loved it. I will be sharing this recipe with my friends. Hope the will like it.
Farah Abumaizar says
I am so happy you liked it Ashok!
Sharon says
Made this tonight but added some bharat seasoning. All I can say is, I will be cooking my leg of lamb this way from now on. It was absolutely delicious. It was so tender and the flavour was amazing. Definitely saving the recipe for next time – which won’t be long!
Farah Abumaizar says
I am so glad to hear that Sharon! Thanks so much for the kind review, we love roasting our lamb this way too!
Julia says
Hi Farah, your recipe sounds really good. I still do have a question.
I was searching online for what time I should approx roast a boneless lamb leg of about 2 kilograms. And I read big differences. Some say about 1,5 hours, while in yours it is up to 3/4 hours.
Could you tell me for what ‘internal temp’ your are aiming for? Is the meat still pink with your method?
Thanks!
Julia
Farah Abumaizar says
Hi Julia thanks for the question! I have seen those similar timings, but when I tried to cook this for 2 hours I definitely still found it underdone- maybe go by your oven? Keep in mind that Arabic style lamb isn’t even remotely pink on the inside, it’s brown through and through, so if you do want pink on the inside I’d go with:
130-135 for medium
140 to 145 for medium well
150 to 155 for well done (all in farenheit)
I’m sure you could adjust the cooking time and use the same marinade and come out with a delicious leg of lamb . If you do try this please let me know!
Razan says
Yum looks delicious and easy to follow can wait to try it😍
Farah Abumaizar says
Super easy! Please let me know if you do how it turns out
May says
Cooked it for 4 hours came out perfect!
Farah Abumaizar says
Great! So happy to hear that