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22 Nov 2022

Konstantina's Greek Roast Leg of Lamb

This mouth-watering dish was shared by our Coordinator Konstantina and is sure to impress your friends and family. Slow roasting the lamb makes the meat so tender it will just fall off the bone, and it's full of classic Greek flavours - lemon, oregano, garlic and rosemary. Konstantina likes to pair this with crispy potatoes that have been roasted alongside the meat for extra flavour!

Ingredients for 8-10 people:

For the Marinade:

180ml olive oil

2 medium lemons, juiced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 sprigs rosemary, leaves stripped from stems

2 tablespoons coarse salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4kg bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed of excess fat

 

For the Potatoes:

2kg yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges

60ml olive oil

1 pinch salt

1 pinch freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried rosemary

2 medium lemons, juiced

Salt, to taste, optional

Method:

For the Marinade:

Add the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, fresh rosemary leaves, coarse salt, and the pepper to a blender or food processor and process until smooth. The marinade should be thick 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 a thick layer of marinade on covering as much meat as possible. Refrigerate until ready to roast. Marinating the leg of lamb in the refrigerator for at least 1 to 2 hours before roasting yields an excellent flavour.

 

For the Potatoes:

Preheat the oven to 220℃

Add the potatoes to a large bowl. Drizzle with the olive oil and then season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the garlic powder, dried oregano, and dried rosemary.

Toss the potatoes well to coat, then scatter the potatoes in the bottom of the roasting pan around the lamb.

 

For the Lamb:

Roast at 220℃ for 20 minutes uncovered. Lower the temperature to 180℃ and continue to roast, uncovered.

Baste the potatoes and the lamb with pan juices frequently during cooking.

A 4kg leg will take approximately 3 to 3 3/4 hours to cook, but it's best to use a reliable meat thermometer to gauge doneness because ovens vary. The roast is done when a thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the leg reaches 70℃.

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 to give the potatoes a little extra colour, 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.

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