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This roast leg of lamb is one of those proper centrepiece roasts that makes the kitchen smell absolutely gorgeous. The lamb roasts until tender and juicy, then those lovely roasting juices are turned into a rich, meaty gravy that deserves a generous pour. A good-quality lamb joint, a simple rub, a decent rest, and gravy made from the pan juices, that’s the magic.
“Simple, yet so rewarding. I used a small 2 lb boneless leg of lamb and I cut the cooking time in half (I prefer it more rare).. delish.”
Nicky’s Notes
I think a good quality joint of lamb has got to be one of the most flavourful meats going.
The natural fat in a lamb joint ensures the meat is juicy and succulent, and it’s actually a particular fatty acid in lamb fat that gives it its distinctive rich and slightly gamey flavour.
According to Cook’s Illustrated “Meat Book” cookbook (note: this is an affiliate link. Also it’s one of my favourite books to understand everything you need to know about meat), grass-fed lamb is best – because a diet of this type (rather than grain-fed) results in a higher concentration of branched chain fatty-acids – which leads to a more flavourful and sweeter-tasting meat.
Grass-fed lamb from Wales is excellent, as it rains so much over there that the grass is perfectly green and lush (check out my shoulder of lamb post for more insight on Welsh lamb following a Welsh lamb trip that Chris and I attended last year).
Imported lamb from New Zealand or Australia is also generally grass fed.
Lamb from the USA is often grain-fed, or partially grain-fed. British lamb is sometimes supplemented with grain feed – usually when the grass is past its best. So be sure to look out for grass-fed lamb for the best flavour.
Table of Contents
- Nicky’s Notes
- 📋 Ingredients for Roast Leg Of Lamb
- 🧑🍳 How to cook a leg of lamb
- ⏲️ Cooking times
- Should I cover the lamb when roasting?
- 🧑🍳 Making the lamb gravy
- 🧑🍳 Pro Tips for the Juiciest Roast Lamb
- Leftovers Guide
- 📺 Watch how to make it
- Roast Leg of Lamb Recipe Recipe
- What to serve with Roast Lamb?
- 🍲 More Roast Dinner recipes
📋 Ingredients for Roast Leg Of Lamb
***Full recipe with detailed quantities in the recipe card below***
🧑🍳 How to cook a leg of lamb
***Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card below***
- Mix together olive oil, garlic salt, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme and lemon zest and spread all over the lamb.
- Place the lamb in a large roasting tin and roast in the oven. Cook for 2 hours
- Take the lamb out of the oven and allow to rest while you make the gravy.
⏲️ Cooking times
Different lamb leg size? Here are the recommended cooking times:
For full leg and half leg joints:
Medium: Cook for 25 minutes per 500g (1.1lbs), plus an extra 20-25 minutes at 180C/350F – until the internal temperature of the lamb is 60C.
Well done: Cook for 30 minutes per 500g (1.1lbs), plus an extra 25-30 minutes at 180C/350F – until the internal temperature of the lamb is 70C.
Should I cover the lamb when roasting?
There’s no need to cover a leg of lamb during roasting (I would use foil with a shoulder of lamb however, as it’s in the oven longer).
🧑🍳 Making the lamb gravy
- Heat the meat juices (be sure to scrape up any bits from the tin – that’s where all the flavour is) in the roasting tin or in a pan over the hob together with crumbled stock cubes and hot vegetable water (from cooking your veggies).
- Bring to the boil and lightly season with salt and pepper, then stir in a cornstarch slurry using a whisk, until the gravy thickens.
🧑🍳 Pro Tips for the Juiciest Roast Lamb
- Check your oven temperature! Oven temperature is often inaccurate, especially in older ovens. Use an oven thermometer to check the internal temp of your oven is correct.
- Make sure the lamb isn’t too lean. Fat = flavour. It also equals juiciness. Try to pick a lamb leg with plenty of visible fat on the outside and nice light marbling of fat inside.
- Leave to rest for a minimum of 20 minutes (ideally 30 minutes). This allows the juices, which are driven to the center of the meat during cooking, to redistribute themselves throughout the meat, resulting in juicier slices of meat (yep I’m quoting that Cook’s Illustrated “Meat Book” cookbook again <–affiliate link).
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Pin ItLeftovers Guide
Got leftovers? What to do with leftover roast lamb:
- Crispy Lamb Salad – you HAVE To Try This Salad! The pictures are old and pretty embarrassing, but the salad is delicious!
- Make a Lamb Curry – follow my Madras, Jalfrezi or Tikka Masala recipe, replacing the chicken/turkey with the cooked lamb.
- Three Bone Soup With Veggies and Beans
- Crispy Lamb Gyros with Homemade Tzatziki (use my pork gyros recipe starting from step 5 – where the meat is already cooked)
📺 Watch how to make it
Roast Leg of Lamb Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 kg (4.4 lbs) leg of lamb
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ tsp garlic salt
- ½ tsp Maldon salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
For the gravy:
- meat juices from your roasted lamb
- 2 lamb stock cubes crumbled
- 1 beef stock cube crumbled
- 720 ml (3 cups) hot vegetable stock from your boiled/steamed vegetables and potatoes
- ¼ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch
- 5 tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Remove the lamb from the fridge about an hour before cooking – to allow it to come up to room temperature.2 kg (4.4 lbs) leg of lamb
- Preheat the oven to 180C/350F (fan).
- Mix together the olive oil, garlic salt, salt, pepper, rosemary, thyme, and lemon zest to form a thick paste.1 tbsp olive oil, ½ tsp garlic salt, ½ tsp Maldon salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp dried rosemary, 1 tsp dried thyme, finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- Spread the paste all over the lamb.
- Place the lamb in a large roasting tin and place in the oven. Cook for 2 hours (this will cook it to medium).
- Remove from the oven and place on a warm plate to rest for 30 minutes.
- To make the gravy, place the roasting tin on the hob (or transfer the meat juices to a saucepan – be sure to scrape up any bits from the tin – that’s where all the flavour is).meat juices from your roasted lamb
- Sprinkle on the crumbled stock cubes.2 lamb stock cubes crumbled, 1 beef stock cube crumbled
- Stir together whilst pouring in the hot vegetable water. Bring to the boil and lightly season with salt and pepper.720 ml (3 cups) hot vegetable stock, 1/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper
- Stir in the cornstarch slurry using a whisk, until the gravy thickens. Allow to bubble then turn off the heat.2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch, 5 tbsp cold water
- Serve the roast lamb with the gravy, mint sauce, roast potatoes, carrots and green veg – such as green beans or sprouts.
Video
Notes
The Lamb
Go for grass-fed lamb for the absolute best flavour. You’re looking for a lamb leg with a layer of fat on the outside, and lightly marbled with fat on the inside. Welsh lamb is my favourite, but New Zealand lamb is great too.Different lamb leg size?
Here are the recommended cooking times for full leg and half leg joints: Medium: Cook for 25 minutes per 500g (1.1lbs), plus an extra 20-25 minutes at 180C/350F – until the internal temperature of the lamb is 60C. Well done: Cook for 30 minutes per 500g (1.1lbs), plus an extra 25-30 minutes at 180C/350F – until the internal temperature of the lamb is 70C. Nutritional information is per serving including gravy.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This roast leg of lamb recipe was first posted in April 2020. Updated since with recipe improvements and for housekeeping reasons.
What to serve with Roast Lamb?
Serve the roast lamb with the gravy alongside veggies and plenty of mint sauce.
You can use shop-bought mint sauce, or check out how to make my easy homemade mint sauce:
- Easy Mint Sauce (I know I’ve said it once or twice, but that’s how much I love the stuff)
- Potatoes!! You could go for my crispy-yet-fluffy Roast Potatoes or these decadently creamy Dauphinoise Potatoes, or creamy, fluffy Mashed Potatoes
- Simple butter pepper Carrots
- Cheats cauliflower cheese
- Green Beans with Garlic and Parmesan
🍲 More Roast Dinner recipes
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Simple, yet so rewarding. I used a small 2 lb boneless leg of lamb and I cut the cooking time in half (I prefer it more rare).. delish.
Love your site (and the recipes), but the pop-ups can be annoying.. I understand we all need to get paid, but it detracts from the overall satisfaction.
Wondering why your photos show fresh rosemary but your recipe states dried?
You can use either Geraldine – or use dried for the recipe and fresh to garnish if you like.
scrumptious
yummy
MMMMMMMMMMMM
yummy yummy in my tummy
A video ad is smack dab in the middle of the page and can’t be closed out. Aggravating because it looks like a good recipe
Is the oven temperature conventional or fan assisted? Thanks!
Hi Esther, yes it’s for a fan oven.
Truly excellent
This recipe seems to be filled with flavors. I was searching for a good recipe for a long time. Finally I found this recipe. Surely gonna try it. Thanks for sharing.
Worthwile queing at the sipermarket to get such a lovely piece of meat
Thks
Walter