Easy Roast Leg of Lamb

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I found this easy roast leg of lamb recipe on the BBC Good Food website when looking for a simple lamb leg recipe for Easter Sunday.   The end result was beautifully tender and full of flavour lamb - simply delicious!

Roast a leg of lamb for a family feast or when entertaining. It's ideal served with roasties and your favourite sides (see links below) for an Easter dinner or Sunday roast.

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How to make this Easy Roast Leg of Lamb

Ingredients

• 2 to 2.5kg leg of lamb
• small bunch rosemary, cut into 2cm short sprigs
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic, finely sliced
• 4 to 6 brown anchovy fillets, chopped (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions, thickly sliced

For the gravy:

• 30g plain flour
• 500ml lamb stock (made using a stock cube or pot)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Remove all packaging from the lamb and keep a note of the weight to calculate the roasting time. Make incisions into the lamb using a small sharp knife, at an angle, about 5cm into the meat. Making the holes at an angle will mean more of the meat is flavoured, and the flavourings will be less tempted to be pushed out when roasting.
2. Insert a short sprig of rosemary, a garlic slice and a small piece of anchovy (if using) into each of the holes, pressing in well with your finger. Season the meat all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then rub the lamb all over with the olive oil. Layer the onion slices into a large roasting tin, then place the lamb leg on top.   Roast for 20 minutes.
3. Lower the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes per 500g (1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes for a 2kg leg) depending on how pink you like your lamb. You can also check the internal temperature of the lamb if you prefer pinker meat – it will be 55C for medium (pink) and 70C for well done.
4. Remove the lamb leg from the roasting tin, cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Make the gravy:

1. Put the roasting tin on a high heat and sprinkle over the flour. Stir to combine for 2 to 3 minutes, ensuring no lumps form.   Gradually add the lamb stock, stirring constantly until it’s all added, and the gravy is smooth, thickened slightly and hot. Add any resting juices from the lamb and season, to taste.   Strain if you like, or keep the onions in the gravy.  
2. Carve the lamb and serve with the hot gravy and your favourite sides – we love roast potatoes, yorkshire puddings and cauliflower and broccoli cheese!!

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Easy Roast Leg of Lamb

By: Deborah

Roast a leg of lamb for a family feast or when entertaining. It's ideal served with roasties and your favourite sides.

PREP: 20 minutes minutes

COOK: 2 hours hours

TOTAL: 2 hours hours 20 minutes minutes

Course: Main

Cuisine: British

Servings: 6 people

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Equipment

• Large roasting tin
• Meat thermometer
• Carving knife
• Saucepan
• Sieve

Ingredients

• 2 to 2.5 kg (4.4 lb) leg of lamb
• small bunch rosemary cut into 2cm short sprigs
• 4 to 5 cloves garlic finely sliced
• 4 to 6 brown anchovy fillets chopped (optional)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 large onions thickly sliced

For the gravy:

• 30 g (1.1 oz) plain flour
• 500 ml (2 cups) lamb stock (made using a stock cube or pot)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

• Heat the oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Remove all packaging from the lamb and keep a note of the weight to calculate the roasting time. Make incisions into the lamb using a small sharp knife, at an angle, about 5cm into the meat. Making the holes at an angle will mean more of the meat is flavoured, and the flavourings will be less tempted to be pushed out when roasting.
• Insert a short sprig of rosemary, a garlic slice and a small piece of anchovy (if using) into each of the holes, pressing in well with your finger. Season the meat all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then rub the lamb all over with the olive oil. Layer the onion slices into a large roasting tin, then place the lamb leg on top.   Roast for 20 minutes.
• Lower the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and cook for another 15 to 20 minutes per 500g (1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes for a 2kg leg) depending on how pink you like your lamb. You can also check the internal temperature of the lamb if you prefer pinker meat – it will be 55C for medium (pink) and 70C for well done.
• Remove the lamb leg from the roasting tin, cover with foil and rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Make the gravy:

• Put the roasting tin on a high heat and sprinkle over the flour. Stir to combine for 2 to 3 minutes, ensuring no lumps form.   Gradually add the lamb stock, stirring constantly until it’s all added, and the gravy is smooth, thickened slightly and hot.   Add any resting juices from the lamb and season, to taste.   Strain if you like, or keep the onions in the gravy.
• Carve the lamb and serve with the hot gravy and your favourite sides – we love roast potatoes, yorkshire puddings and cauliflower and broccoli cheese!!

Notes

• Calculate the cooking time for this easy roast leg of lamb recipe - 20 minutes initially at the higher temperature and then 15 to 20 minutes per 500g (1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes for a 2kg leg) depending on how pink you like your lamb. You can also check the internal temperature of the lamb if you prefer pinker meat – it will be 55C for medium (pink) and 70C for well done.

 

You might also like to try:

• lamb dishes

Nutrition

Calories: 366kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 47g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 137mg | Sodium: 360mg | Potassium: 712mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 37mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

KEYWORDS Easter, Easter Sunday, easy, roast dinner, Sunday dinner, Sunday roast

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