How to Make a Leg of Lamb Recipe 

I learned how to make a leg of lamb recipe is very popular at Easter in many countries; Europe and South America. It is also served in other countries around the world when celebrating other special holidays. The Christian population in the Middle East would not consider their Easter meal complete without serving a spring lamb. Lamb is a healthy choice of entree meats and in many countries it is so plentiful making to a good choice to serve for dinner.


Lamb fed on hilly pastures is sweeter tasting but a little less tender that lowland lamb. Very young milk fed lamb is very tender and is a great delicacy but very hard and expensive to purchase. Young lamb should be pinkish in color and firm. The fat should be creamy white and the bones small with a blue tinge. Older more mature lamb will have more of a red color. The leg of lamb is the prime roast from the lamb.


If you want to learn how to make a boneless leg of lamb recipe, you can ask the butcher to remove the bones for you or you can do it yourself. There are three bones to be extracted; the pelvic bone, the middle bone and the shank bone. First cut around and pull out the pelvic bone which sticks out at the wide end. Next feel for the middle bone with your fingers. Slit leg above it and cut it out easing around the joint where it meets the shank bone. Remove the shank bone the same way.


To open out the meat as flat as possible, make two parallel cuts through the two thickest seams of meat; one on either side of the space left by the middle bone. Cut off pointed narrow end and beat the meat once or twice with a wooden meat mallet to even out the thickness. It should be roughly rectangular in shape.


When carving a leg of lamb that still has the bones in, place it so that the thick meaty section is on the side nearest to you. If carving the left leg, the shank will be at your left; if carving the right leg, the shank will be at your right. Insert fork firmly into large end of leg, cut two or three slices from the thin side of the leg and slide away from you.


Turn lamb so it rests on the surface you just cut; the thick meaty section will now be in upright position. Insert fork firmly into the thick meaty section, starting at the shank end, cut slices ¼ inch thick down to the large leg bone, cutting as many slices as needed. With the fork still in place, run knife along leg bone to release all the slices; cut more slices from underside if needed.


If learning how to cook a leg of lamb recipe, as with all meats the desired doneness can easily be achieved. Place lamb with fat side up on a rack in shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer in the center of the meat. Be careful that the thermometer does not touch the bone. Unless your recipes specifies otherwise, roast it in the oven at 325F degrees. For RARE meat roast it until the thermometer reaches 140F degrees; MEDIUM  160F degrees; WELL DONE 170F degrees.

LEG OF LAMB RECIPE with Hunter Sauce

Leg of Lamb Recipe with Hunter SauceLeg of Lamb Recipe with Hunter Sauce
  • 1 Leg of lamb (About 5 pounds)
  • 4 to 5 Cloves garlic (Slice thin)
  • 3 Tablespoons prepared mustard
  • 1 Teaspoon dry mustard
  • 1 Teaspoon prepared horseradish
  • 1 Tablespoon dried rosemary 
  • 2 Teaspoons coarse cracked black pepper
  • ½ Teaspoon salt

Hunter Sauce

  • ½ Cup brown sugar
  • ½ Cup ketchup
  • ¼ Cup butter
  • ¼ Cup apple butter
  • 3 Tablespoons lemon juice
  • 1 Teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ Teaspoon ground allspice
  • ½ Teaspoon pepper
  • ¼ Teaspoon ground cloves

TO PREPARE LAMB wash with cold fresh water and pat dry.

Cut small slits all over the lamb; insert slices of garlic in cuts.

Place lamb leg in shallow dish.

Combine the prepared mustard, dry mustard and horseradish in small bowl.

Stir in the rosemary, pepper and salt; spread all over the leg of lamb.

Cover tightly with plastic wrap; store in refrigerator 1 to 2 days.

PREHEAT OVEN TO 450F degrees.

Place lamb in shallow roasting pan; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Place in oven and bake for 15 minutes; REDUCE HEAT TO 350F degrees.

Bake for another 1 hour or until internal temperature reaches 145F degrees.

NOTE: Check with meat thermometer at the thickest section of meat away from the bone.

Remove from oven; cover with foil and let set 20 minutes until thermometer reaches 150F degrees.

TO MAKE HUNTER SAUCE combine all sauce ingredients in small saucepan.

Cook over low heat stirring until smooth and sauce starts to bubbly.

Serve sliced lamb with sauce; serves 8 to 10.

Preparing leg of Lamb RecipePreparing leg of Lamb Recipe

HOW TO MAKE A LEG OF LAMB RECIPE ROASTED

Preheat oven to 300F degrees.

Wipe leg of lamb with a damp cloth. Dredge with a mixture of flour, salt, pepper and ground ginger. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large skillet. Chop a small onion and add to the oil. Add 1 clove of minced garlic to the oil and onion. Sauté until tender. Add to the skillet 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 2 tablespoons catsup, 1/8 teaspoon sugar and 1 pint of boiling water. Place the leg of lamb into a roasting pan and pour the hot liquid mixture over the top. Bake slowly until very tender, spooning mixture over the top of the lamb occasionally.

BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB RECIPE

  • 6 Pounds leg of lamb, fat removed
  • 2 Large minced garlic cloves
  • 1 Tablespoon paprika
  • 1 Tablespoon fresh rosemary
  • 1 ½ Teaspoon salt
  • ½ Teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

Make 12 slits in lamb.

Combine seasonings and press a little of the mixture into each slit.

Insert meat thermometer into thickest part of meat; do not touch bone with thermometer.

Roast meat 12 to 15 minutes per pound or until thermometer reaches 130F degrees for rare; (roast 20 minutes per pound for medium or 30 to 35 minutes per pound for well done).

After roasting 1 hour baste with following orange sauce recipe until meat has reached desired doneness.

Place on heated platter and allow to stand 15 minutes before slicing; serve remaining sauce with meat.

ORANGE BASTING SAUCE RECIPE

  • ¼ Cup unsalted butter melted
  • 1 Can (6 ounces) concentrated orange juice thawed
  • ½ Cup dry red wine

Combine and blend all three ingredients.

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB with raspberry glaze

  • 5 to 6 Pounds leg of lamb
  • 2 Cloves of garlic in slivers
  • 1/3 Cup seedless red raspberry jam (reserve 2 tablespoons for sauce)
  • 3 Tablespoons dry white wine
  • 2 Teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ¼ Teaspoon rosemary leaves
  • ¼ Teaspoon crushed black pepper
  • 1 Cup beef broth
  • 1 Tablespoon cornstarch

Preheat oven to 350F degrees.

With tip of sharp knife make slits evenly over leg of lamb; insert garlic into each slit. In small bowl mix together jam, wine, mustard, rosemary and pepper; brush lamb with ¼ cup of sauce.

Place fat side up in roasting pan; bake for 20 to 25 minutes per pound for medium rare or 160F degrees.

For more well done add 5 minutes more per pound.

Pour remaining sauce over lamb during last 40 minutes of cooking.

Remove lamb to platter and set 15 minutes before serving.

Meanwhile pour lamb drippings into a saucepan; remove excess grease.

Mix broth, cornstarch and reserve 2 tablespoons raspberry jam; whisk into drippings.

Cook over medium heat whisking until thickened.

Serve hot gravy with sliced lamb.

MINT SAUCE RECIPE FOR LEG OF LAMB RECIPE

  • ½ Cup white vinegar
  • 1/3 Cup sugar
  • Fresh mint leaves

Heat vinegar and sugar stirring until sugar is dissolved.

Snip coarsely enough mint leaves to measure ½ cup.

Pour hot vinegar mixture over mint in a small bowl; let stand covered for several hours.

Before serving strain sauce and discard leaves.

Snip coarse fresh mint leaves measuring ¼ cup; add to sauce and serve at room temperature.

MANGO SALSA RECIPE FOR LEG OF LAMB RECIPE

This adds a lot of flavor to the leg of lamb recipe.

  • 4 Medium mangoes, peeled and chopped
  • ¼ Cup chopped celery
  • ¼ Cup green chopped onion
  • ¼ Cup chopped sweet yellow or sweet red peppers
  • 1 Jalapeno pepper seeded and minced
  • 1/3 Cup fresh cilantro
  • ¼ Cup honey
  • ¼ Cup olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
  • ¼ Teaspoon salt

Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl.

Combine honey and remaining ingredients; pour over mango mixture.

Toss gently to coat; cover and chill 30 minutes.

MARINATED LEG OF LAMB RECIPE with gravy

  • Salt (Divided)
  • ½ Cup orange juice
  • ½ Cup dry red wine
  • ½ Cup chili sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
  • 1 Small minced onion
  • 2 Cloves minced garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons sugar
  • 2 Teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 Teaspoon basil
  • 1 Leg of lamb (About 4 Pounds)
  • ¼ cup apricot preserves
  • Water
  • 3 Tablespoons flour

To make marinade mix 1 teaspoon salt and next 9 ingredients in a large shallow pan 

Add the leg of lamb turning to coat all sides; cover with plastic wrap.

Marinate at least 12 hours turning frequently to keep coated.

PREHEAT OVEN TO 325F degrees.

Place lamb fat side up in shallow roasting pan; RESERVE marinade for gravy.

NOTE: (Insert thermometer if using).

Roast and baste occasionally about 1 hour and 40 minutes until desired doneness.

NOTE: Testing temperatures; 140F for rare; 160F for medium; 170F for well done.

Place meat on warm serving platter; cover and keep warm while making gravy.

TO MAKE GRAVY pour pan drippings into a 4 cup measuring cup; set a few minutes.

NOTE: Set roasting pan aside for a few minutes.

Skim 3 TABLESPOONS fat from drippings; place in saucepan.

Skim REMAINING fat from drippings and discard.

Add 1 ½ cups water into roasting pan; cook and stir overheat to loosen bits from pan

Pour hot liquid and reserved marinade into reserved drippings in measuring cup.

Add enough water to the cup to make 2 ½ cups if needed; set aside.

TO MAKE GRAVY stir the flour into the 3 tablespoons fat in saucepan.

Over medium heat add ¼ TEASPOON salt; stir mixture just to blend.

Gradually stir in the liquid mixture ; cook and stir until thickened.

Serve gravy with meat; serves 10 to 12.

ROASTED LEG OF LAMB RECIPE 

  • 1 Teaspoon salt
  • 1 Teaspoon dried mint 
  • ½ Teaspoon ground red pepper
  • 1 Leg of lamb (7 to 9 pounds)
  • 2 Medium chopped onions
  • 3 Cups dry white wine
  • ½ Cup olive oil
  • ½ Cup Dijon mustard
  • 3 Cloves minced garlic
  • 2 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Preheat oven to 325F degrees.

Combine salt, mint and red pepper; sprinkle over the leg of lamb.

Place chopped onions in center of roasting pan; place lamb on top of the onions.

Combine the wine, oil, mustard, garlic and Worcestershire sauce in bowl.

Pour liquid mixture over the leg of lamb.

NOTE: Insert thermometer (if using) into thickest portion of lamb being sure not to touch bone.

Bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes until thermometer reaches 160F degrees.

NOTE: Baste every 30 minutes during baking.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving; serves 10 to 14.

LEG OF LAMB RECIPE with anchovies

  • 1 Leg of lamb (5 Pounds)
  • 1 Small can anchovies (Chop)
  • 1 Can beef broth
  • 1 Can Pimientos
  • 1 Pound wide noodles
  • Parsley
  • Salt/ pepper
  • 1 Cup butter
  • 4 Cloves minced garlic

Pierce holes over the surface of the leg of lamb; stuff holes with chopped anchovies.

Rub the lamb with the minced garlic; season lightly with salt and pepper.