Greek Leg Of Lamb

Roasted leg of lamb with lemon and parsley on white plate.

5 from 1 vote

Delight your taste buds with a flavorful Greek leg of lamb. Perfect for special occasions, this juicy roast is sure to impress!

Prep Time10

Cook Time1 20

Total Time1 30

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: Greek leg of lamb

Servings:

Calories: 756kcal

Author: Adrianne

Ingredients

Marinade

2 lemons zested and juiced, Note 1
1 cup/250 ml olive oil Note 2
½ cup/125 ml honey Note 3
1 tablespoon garlic chunky chopped, Note 4
2 teaspoons dried parsley Note 5
2 teaspoons dried oregano Note 6
2 teaspoons thyme Note 7
¼ teaspoon salt Note 8
½ teaspoon black pepper also Note 8

Lamb

2.5-3kg/ 5lb - 6lb bone in leg of lamb at room temperature, Note 10

To serve

lemon wedges
flat leaf parsley

Instructions

Preheat the oven (Grill/broil): preheat the oven to a high setting on grill at 200°C 392°F6.
Lemons: use a micro plane zester to zest the 2 lemons. Then use a knife to cut them in half and use a juicer to juice each half.
Marinade: add the olive oil, lemon juice, honey, garlic, dried parsley, dried oregano, dried thyme, salt and pepper to a small bowl and use a mini whisk to combine then set aside.
Leg of lamb: rinse the lamb leg and use paper towel to pat it dry. Once done transfer it underside facing up into a large oiled baking tray. Then pour ½ of the marinade over the lamb and use a basting brush to scoop it back up from the pan and ensure all exposed edges are covered. Then flip the lamb to the other side and repeat this process.
Cook: place the roasting tray into the oven on the middle shelf and allow the lamb leg to grill/broil for 15 minutes. once done, turn the oven setting to bake and reduce the temperature to 180°C / 350-375°F / Gas Mark 4-5. Allow the lamb to cook for 1 hour and 5 minutes. During this time remove the baking tray from the oven every 15 minutes and re baste the lamb leg with the pan juice using a basting brush. Note 10
Rest: after the cooking time is up, use oven mitts to remove the lamb from the oven and place it onto a heatproof surface. Loosely cover it with foil and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
To serve: use a knife and carving fork the carve the lamb and plate the sliced meat onto a tray. Add some lemon wedges and parsley for serving.

Notes

Note 1- Lemons: bright and fresh, we use both the zest of the lemons (skin) as well as their juice. If for whatever reason you want to use bottled lemon juice in place of the fresh lemons you can, however, bear in mind you won't have any lemon zest in the recipe. The amounts from 2 lemons are approximately 3 tablespoons of lemon zest and ½ cup (125ml) of lemon juice.
Note 2 - Olive oil: we use olive oil as one of the key ingredients in the marinade for the lamb. I don't recommend substituting a different type of oil.
Note 3 - Honey: sweet and sticky. This is a fantastic ingredient to cook with! It brings a delightfully sweet taste to the leg of lamb.
Note 4 - Garlic: you can use 2-3 fresh garlic cloves, minced garlic or chunky chopped garlic like you see above. I use the chunky chopped garlic for convenience and its my favorite!
Note 5- Parsley: the dried parsley is the 1st of the 3 dried herbs we use to flavor the lamb leg. A handy pantry staple.
Note 6 - Oregano: the dried oregano is the 2nd of the 3 dried herbs. It is very commonly found in Greek recipes.
Note 7 - Thyme: the dried thyme rounds out the 3 dried herbs.
Note 8 - Salt and pepper: we use salt and black pepper for seasoning in the recipe. If you want to use it to directly season the meat instead of in the lamb marinade, you can.
Note 9 - Leg of lamb: you will be able to get this from the grocery store or your local butcher. I use a 'bone in 'leg of lamb' but you can also use a 'boneless leg of lamb' if you wish too. If using a boneless leg of lamb, check the cook times as instructed on the packet or ask the butcher.
Note 10 - Basting: we want to keep the juices in the pan 'moving around' during the cook time and not simply sitting there for the whole time. We also want to get the most out of them but using them to re coat the lamb leg in the lemon herb mixture. If you leave the juices sit they can have a tendancy to burn, but removing the lamb and re basting it with the olive oil mixture around every 15 minutes ensures juicy lamb leg as well as non burnt in the base of the pan liquid.

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