Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb With a Red Wine Sauce
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 8-10
Ingredients
Lamb:
  • 1 boneless leg of lamb (5-7 lbs)
  • 3-4 Tablespoons fresh minced herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, etc.)
  • salt, ground black pepper
  • 1-2 Tablespoons dry herbs blend
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • zest from one lemon
  • 6-8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Red Wine Sauce:
  • ¼ cup lamb drippings
  • 1 -2 shallots, minced
  • 1-2 garlic cloves, minced
  • ½ cup red wine
  • 1 Tablespoon cold butter
  • salt, ground black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon minced fresh herbs (parsley, thyme, rosemary, etc.)
Instructions
  1. It's easiest to start out with a boneless leg of lamb. Most stores will have the boneless option available for you. You can also ask your butcher to debone it for you. However, this recipe will work with a bone-in leg of lamb too. You can debone it yourself, or roast the lamb with the bone in.
  2. Open up your boneless leg of lamb like a book. Cut out as much fat and gristle from the inside as you possibly can. Leave the fat on the outside of the lamb, since it will protect the meat from getting too dry while it roasts.
  3. In a small bowl, combine the fresh herbs, garlic and lemon zest. Mix to combine. Rub half of this really flavorful mixture all over the inside of the lamb. Season liberally with salt, ground black pepper, dry herb blend and half of the coriander.
  4. I really like to use a Chicken Seasoning blend of herbs, which consists of garlic, onion, sea salt, sage, rosemary, thyme, oregano, marjoram, black pepper, fennel, coriander, peppermint and bay leaf. You can use any spice blend that you like, or make your own using a combination of any of the herbs that I named in my favorite blend or add any of your own favorites. Here are a few more ideas: parsley, basil, paprika, cayenne pepper, orange or lemon peel, bell pepper. It’s all a matter of your taste preferences, my friends.
  5. Flip the lamb over and repeat with the other side. Roll the roast back together again, tucking it in tightly. At this point, you can tie the roast using kitchen twine, or tie the roast right before you are ready to roast it. Place the lamb in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours, or overnight.
  6. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the roast on a baking sheet on top of a wire rack. Rub the outside of the roast with the olive oil.
  7. Roast in the preheated oven for 1-2 hours, until the internal temperature is 130 for medium rare, 135-140 for medium and 140-155 for well-done. I like my lamb to be more on the medium well side, and I took it out of the oven right around 135-138. As you can see from the pictures, I would say it was well done. I wouldn't recommend cooking it more than 140 degrees. Also, remember that the thinner end of the roast will cook faster than the thicker part. The time will really depend on the size of the meat that you have, how thick or thin it is, and if it's bone in or boneless. I always start checking the temperature after about an hour of roasting. If the roast is browning too quickly on the outside but isn't done on the inside, cover it with foil.
  8. Take the roast out of the oven and set aside to rest for at least 15 minutes.
  9. While the roast is resting, prepare the red wine sauce. This sauce is very flavorful and you only need a very small portion for each serving. However, if you want to have extra sauce, double the recipe. You should have enough lamb drippings to make a large portion of sauce.
  10. In a skillet, heat the drippings from the lamb. I try to have just 1-2 Tablespoons of grease and the rest to be drippings, so the sauce isn't too greasy.
  11. Add the shallots to the drippings, season with salt and pepper and cook for about 3 minutes until the shallots are softened.
  12. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
  13. Pour in the red wine and bring to a boil. Cook until the wine has reduced to half the amount that you started with.
  14. Off the heat, whisk in the cold butter.
  15. Season with salt and pepper. Add the fresh herbs and also any accumulated juices from the plate where the lamb is roasting. The sauce needs to be served immediately, so don't make it in advance.
  16. Cut off the kitchen twine around the roast, slice it into pieces and serve with the red wine sauce.
  17. If you have any leftover meat, you can use it to make really delicious Plov - just skip browning the meat in the first step, and continue with the rest of the recipe.
Recipe by Olga's Flavor Factory at https://www.olgasflavorfactory.com/recipes/main-course/roasted-boneless-leg-lamb-red-wine-sauce/