Boneless Leg of Lamb Roast | Greek Lamb for Easter

Travel expands the mind...and also the palate. Our trip to Greece for Easter a few years ago, introduced me to Roast Lamb! That's how Easter celebrations in Greek culminate; over a whole lamb roasted slowly on a spit. And after the long, high mass wraps up close to midnight, Greeks gather around the table to enjoy succulent slices of roast lamb with thick caps of fat and the revelry continues well into the wee hours of the morning.

Back in my kitchen, while I don't have a spit nor the stomach to roast a whole lamb, I did roast a boneless leg of lamb in my trusty oven for our Easter celebration this year.

Juicy and rosy with a medium rare hue, the boneless leg of lamb was so delicious. In fact, why stop at Easter. I think I'll make it again for Thanksgiving, maybe even Christmas.

With very little prep required, once the rolled leg of lamb is in the oven, you can just about forget it until it's time to take it out. 

Served with Hasselback potatoes, roast vegetables, mint jelly and a robust, full bodied red wine of your choice this meal has 'celebration' written all over it.

 

 

Easter in Greece

But before I share the recipe of my boneless leg of lamb roast, I have to share a few pictures of Easter in Greece. After all, that's what inspired the whole thing.

Orthodox Easter is celebrated during Spring time in Greece, usually around mid- April. It's just a gorgeous time to visit; some areas are lush and flower filled.

On a coastal drive from Epidavros toward the Corininth canal. (Near Kalamaki Beach)

 

And other areas are typically Mediterranean, golden landscapes dotted with olive trees and prickly pear; beautiful in their very own way. Cities empty out as Greeks make their way to their villages for Easter holidays.

Near Nafplio

At this time of year, you will see red eggs all over the place. Like these happy little eggs that I spotted in a shop window. Greeks die their Easter eggs red to represent the blood of Christ. The hard shells symbolize the sealed tomb of Jesus from which he emerged after he was crucified.

Greek Easter eggs dyed red to symbolize the blood of Christ

Tsougrisma is the fun Greek Red Easter Egg game where two players lightly tap their eggs against each others. The first one whose egg gets cracked gets disqualified and the uncracked egg's owner gets to play against the next opponent and tries to emerge uncracked.

Other interesting things that Greeks do with their red eggs is bake them into a special, sweet Easter bread. Tsoureki is the traditional Greek Easter Bread that is made on Holy Thursday, where a whole shell-on, red hard boiled egg is placed in the soft dough and baked into the bread.

I was particularly fascinated to see the beautiful, fresh flower wreaths that families make and hang over their doors to adorn their entrances for Easter.

A fresh flower wreath decorates a home's doorway on the Greek island of Santorini.

 

Good Friday is marked by church services, solemn processions and a very somber atmosphere where church bells toll and flags are flown at half mast.

On Holy Saturday, there is a massive turnout for the Anastasi mass which marks the night of the Resurrection. People are dressed in their best and carry candles (lambada).

Holy Saturday Anastasi mass for Greek Orthodox Easter in Athens

At midnight, the resurrection is announced, the candles are lit from the Holy Easter candle and Easter is rung in with song and fireworks. After the service, the Greeks take the light back in little lanterns to their homes where they draw a cross with the holy light on the top of their door. And then it's time to celebrate with a meal of roast lamb.

 

Restaurants in Athens are open well into the night, serving up plates of  roast lamb, carved straight off the spit. The next day, side walks are filled with  people dining out and enjoying Easter.

 

Sidewalk cafe in Greece

How to Roast a Boneless Leg of Lamb in Oven

Here are the steps for a boneless lamb roast in a nutshell. My recipe follows a little further down.

Step 1:  Marinade the lamb

Marinade the lamb in a ziplock bag at least one to two days before roasting with olive oil, lemon juice, chopped anchovies, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper. Pour this herb mixture over the leg of lamb and massage the mixture into the meat to evenly coat the meat. Place in a ziplock bag in the fridge.

Boneless leg of lamb rubbed with garlic, rosemary, thyme, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.

 

 

Step 2: Sear lamb at 450° F for 15 minutes

 

Place lamb in baking tray with vegetables and sear in 450°F oven for 15 minutes.

Place lamb and vegetables in a baking tray

 

Step 3: Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Bake till cooked.

  

Cooking time varies depending on the weight.

 

 

Step 4: Let lamb rest 

 

Let lamb rest for at least 15 minutes before carving.

 

Step 5: Serve 

Before carving, cut off the strings of the rolled leg of lamb and discard. Cut into slices and serve with roasted vegetables.

Roast lamb

 

 

What to do with left over roast lamb?

My favourite thing to do is carve up the left over lamb into thin slice and keep them aside to make sandwiches. Or fry lightly with shawarma spices to fill in wraps.

Make sandwiches with left over lamb

 

What is the Cooking Time for a Boneless Lamb Leg Roast?

That's the big question. And the answer varies depending on:

1.  the weight of the lamb

2. how you would like your lamb cooked (rare, medium or well done).

Below is my guide for lamb roasting times for a 3lb boneless leg of lamb.

Start checking temperature 30 minutes before the estimated end of baking time.

An internal temperature guideline with approximate cooking time for varying degrees of doneness for a 3 lb. boneless leg of lamb is:

• Rare: (Bright red center, pinkish exterior) 
• For internal temperature of 120-125°F
• Roast for 45 minutes at 325° F
• Medium Rare: (Bright pink center, slightly brown exterior) 
• For internal temperature of 130-135°F
• Roast for 1 hour at 325°F
• Medium: (Light pink center, brown exterior) 
• For internal temperature of 140-145°F
• Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes at 325°F
• Medium Well: (Center not pink)
• For internal temperature of 150-155°F
• Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes at 325°F
• Well Done: (Center and exterior completely brown) 
• For internal temperature of 160°F
• Roast for 1 hour 40 minutes at 325°F

 

 For the approximate cooking time per pound, along with internal cooking tempearture for varying doneness (from 1lb to 6lbs of lamb), What's Cooking America has a great guide.

 

 Recipe for Boneless Leg of Lamb

 

Ingredients:

☐ 3 lb.  or 1.5 kg boneless leg of lamb (rolled and tied)

☐ 1 tin of Reese anchovy fillets, 6 anchovy filled finely chopped 

☐ Garlic- 6-8 cloves, chopped

☐ Rosemary, 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary leaves, chopped

☐ Thyme, 1 tablespoon of fresh or dried thyme leaves

☐ Olive oil- 3 tablespoons

☐ Lemon- Juice of 1 fresh lemon

☐ Salt

☐ Pepper

☐ Baby potatoes- 8-10, sliced 3/4 way down to make Hasselback potatoes

☐ Carrots, chunked or whole

☐ 1-2 white onion- chunked

Step by Step Instructions:

Step 1. Marinade lamb

• Marinade the lamb at least one to two days before roasting.
• Place leg of lamb in a large bowl. Sprinkle the leg of lamb liberally with salt and pepper. 
• In a small bowl, mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, chopped anchovies, rosemary and thyme. Pour this herb mixture over the leg of lamb and massage the mixture into the meat to evenly coat the meat.
• Transfer the leg of lamb and the herb mixture and juices into a ziplock bag. Seal ziplock and place the lamb in the fridge to marinade for at least one to two days before roasting.

 

Step 2. Sear lamb at 450° F for 15 minutes

• On the day of roasting, remove lamb from fridge 2 hours before roasting to allow the lamb to come to room temperature.
• Pre-heat oven to 450°F.   
• Please lamb on a baking tray. Add the potatoes, carrots and onions and brush with olive oil. Pour marination juices over the lamb and vegetables.
• Roast for 15 minutes at 450°F. 

 

Step 3. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F. Bake till cooked.

• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake until the right internal temperature is reached for the desired level of doneness.
• Use a meat thermometer to check temperature.
• Start checking temperature 30 minutes before the estimated end of baking time.

An internal temperature guideline with approximate cooking time for varying degrees of doneness for a 3 lb. boneless leg of lamb is:

• Rare: (Bright red center, pinkish exterior) 
• For internal temperature of 120-125°F
• Roast for 45 minutes at 325° F
• Medium Rare: (Bright pink center, slightly brown exterior) 
• For internal temperature of 130-135°F
• Roast for 1 hour at 325°F
• Medium: (Light pink center, brown exterior) 
• For internal temperature of 140-145°F
• Roast for 1 hour 15 minutes at 325°F
• Medium Well: (Center not pink)
• For internal temperature of 150-155°F
• Roast for 1 hour 30 minutes at 325°F
• Well Done: (Center and exterior completely brown) 
• For internal temperature of 160°F
• Roast for 1 hour 40 minutes at 325°F

 

Step 4: Let Lamb Rest

• Once the desired internal temperature is reached, remove lamb from oven and cover with a foil tent. Leave lamb to rest for at least 15 minutes.
• If the potatoes require extra cooking, return them to the oven to bake a little longer while the lamb is resting.

 

Step 5: Serve

• Before serving, cut off the strings of the rolled leg of lamb and discard. 
• Using a sharp knife, carve lamb into slices.
• Serve roasted lamb with roast vegetables, potatoes and a side of mint jelly. 

For more of My Travelecipes, check out:

• Horiatiki Salad or Greek Village Salad   (Inspired by a trip to Santorini)
• Orange Blossom Pound Cake  (Inspired by a Spring trip to Andalucia)- This Must be Heaven
• Cockles and Clams in Coconut (Mangalorean Kube Sukke)- Fantasies from St. Mary's Island
• Kerala Mutton Stew (Ishtoo) with coconut milk- If Only The Walls in Fort Cochin Could Talk 
• Dry Prawn Fry (Unakka Chemeen)- From God's Own Country
• Memsahib's Mess - My Expertise
• South African Buttermilk Muesli Rusk (Karringmelk Beskuit)-Howzit!

 

Sources for other Lamb Recipes:

• Tesco's 10 Stunning Easter Lamb Recipes 
• Serious Eats' Slow Roasted Boneless Leg of Lamb

 

 For more Easter related recipes, click on the 'Easter' label below.