Herb-Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb

This awesome recipe comes from the March 2014 edition of Southern Living, and it is excellent! This recipe is a lot easier than it looks, and the results are spectacular. The lamb was tender and done to perfection, while the herbs added a delightful flavor to the meat. The potatoes that you cook with the lamb are simple, but flavorful. They compliment the meat. April is an excellent time to give this delicious lamb roast a try. It is especially good if you are entertaining guests. This would make a wonderful holiday meal (whether for Easter, a birthday, or even mother's day). If you do have leftovers, look for the lamb pita pockets on our blog. It will be posted this month too.

Bon Appetit

Tips:

I had a hard time finding a boneless leg of lamb. The butcher at a local grocery store, kindly removed the bone and trimmed the lamb for me. He even gave me the bone (to make soup stock). So if you have the same problem of finding boneless lamb, your local butcher might be able to help.

On the day that you roast your lamb, you may want to prepare all of your herbs in the morning or early afternoon. That way you are all ready to go when it's time to begin the preparation process of roasting the lamb.

You may peel the centers of the potatoes for aesthetics, if desired. I prefer the peels intact for the extra flavor and nutrients.

Any leftover meat that you have can be diced into bite size chunks. If you have at least 2 1/2 cups diced lamb leftover, you have enough to make lamb pita pockets.

Ingredients:

1 (5 to 8 pound) boneless leg of lamb, rolled and tied

3 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided

2 teaspoons freshly ground black peeper, divided

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh rosemary leaves

2/3 cup loosely packed fresh flat leaf parsley leaves

1/4 cup loosely packed fresh thyme leaves

2 shallots, coarsely chopped

6 garlic cloves

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

10 tablespoons of olive oil, divided

2 pounds of small new potatoes

Directions:

Rub the lamb with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper; let stand 1 hour. Pulse the rosemary in a food processor 4 to 5 times or until finely chopped. Add the parsley, thyme, shallots, garlic, and lemon juice to the food processor and pulse 4 to 5 times (or until finely chopped). Add 6 tablespoons of olive oil, and pulse 7 to 8 times (or until smooth), scraping down sides as needed. Rub the mixture over the lamb; place in a large roasting pan. Let stand 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 450F. Toss together potatoes and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and 4 tablespoons oil; place potatoes around lamb in roasting pan. Bake at 450F for 50 minutes to 1 and a 1/2 hour (or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest portion registers 125F (rare). Remove lamb from the pan; cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let stand 15 minutes before slicing.