I like legs of lamb completely cooked with not a sign of pink.
When they are cooked long and slow the meat is tender and moist, it falls off the bone and is absolutely delicious! Some say that the meat needs high heat first to caramelise the outside but I find that the skin is always golden and crisp.
The only problem is the potatoes, the heat is too low for good roasted vegetables.
I think therefore you should par boil them and when the lamb is resting increase the oven heat and roast the vegetables.
Ingredients
- 1 leg of lamb around 2.6kg
- 4 cloves garlic
- 2 x 20cm sprig of rosemary
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Take the lamb out of the fridge at least 1 hour before cooking.
Place the lamb in a roasting dish and make incisions in the skin with a small sharp knife.
Halve the peeled garlic cloves lengthways and insert into the lamb,
Roughly chop the rosemary and place some under the lamb plus on top.
Preheat the oven to 130 C.
Pour about half a cup of water into the pan and season the lamb with salt and pepper.
Roast for about 5--6 hour or until the meat is pulling back from the shank bone and the meat is tender.
Lamb done in water in oven with Rosemary and Garlic boil for 2 hrs 30 mins falls pff bone New Years Day Dinner cant wait with MINT JELLY
NOW is the time to buy lamb here in New Zealand! $10 per kg today, so $25 for a good 2.5kg leg of lamb. December 2023. Many thanks for the recipe. Marinade overnight. Slow roast tomorrow! Yum!
I just tried this with a 2.5kg leg of lamb cooked for 5.5 hours, but the meat ended up well done bordering on being dry (internal temp ~82-85C), and the skin wasn’t browned at all.
I like a nice slow roasted piece of meat, so the next time I do this I’m going to aim for a similar length of time but roasting at a lower temperature, maybe 100C. I’ll also start the roasting process with a 10-15 minute blast at 250C to get a bit of browning on the meat and skin first. I’ll be aiming for an internal temperature of 68-70C to get the meat around medium doneness and keep it nice and moist.
One last note: Making long slits in the skin is good for a more browned or even crispy skin, but make sure you don’t cut deep into the meat or you’re just allowing moisture to escape. And for the garlic you’ll get a more garlicky (i.e. better) result if you cut slits about 2-3cm into the meat to insert the garlic into – I would suggest 8-10 slits, each for a whole clove of garlic.
Did your oven have a fan? Maybe thats why it was overcooked? Just wondering because mine has no fan and am wondering if I should turn temp down?or keep on 130
Thanks, those were my thoughts as I read it.
I would have, and will do exactly as you suggested :)
I ALWAYS cook my roasts in an oven bag with 1TBL flour, salt, pepper and rosemary and they are always delicious and moist and falling off the bone. 160 fanbake for 2 1/2 to 3 hours depending on size.
The best recipe for roast leg of lamb ever. This was simple and absolutely delicious. My leg was 2kg and I roasted it for 5 1/2 hours, then let it rest a half hour. No need to cover while roasting. Thanks for the recipe.
The New Zealand Leg of Lamb is wonderful in my opinion. Very tasty and affordable as well. I was so happy to discover them available in our local food store here in Maine. Made a Happy Easter for me. So easy to cook and so tender and juicy. I am surprised when some people say they don’t like lamb!
I hope it is still relatively cheap over there in Maine. The price has skyrocketed anything from $30 upwards depending on weight. So I only by on special and evan then it is pricey.
Paulette.
Hi, do I need to cover it with tin foil?
Thanks
Does this need to be covered? Thx
no cover needed
Great recipe – fuss free and delicious. this will be my go to recipe for roast lamb now.