This Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb is seasoned with classic Greek flavors of oregano, rosemary, lemon juice, white wine, and plenty of garlic, resulting in a perfectly-cooked tender lamb that is perfect for any special occasion!
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Mary Heffernan of 5 Marys Farms recently sent me the MOST special package of cuts from her family’s farm! Included, was a bone-in lamb leg. I hadn’t cooked lamb before and wanted to make sure that my recipe was well-researched, thought-out, and deserving of such a special cut of meat. After our research, I settled on a Greek-style, slow-roasted leg of lamb. The end product was nothing short of totally epic, y’all.
Here’s how it starts: pierce your leg of lamb so that you can slide 20 pieces of garlic (10 cloves, cut in half length-wise) inside. Roast at high heat for a bit, then lower heat for about 3 hours. A mixture of white wine, lemon juice, broth, and fresh herbs are added in at strategic times. This method yielded the MOST DELICIOUS lamb I have ever, ever enjoyed.
Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb Ingredients
The ingredient list is fairly simple here. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Bone-in Lamb Leg Roast – to start, you’ll need to grab 1 (5-6 pound) bone-in lamb leg roast.
- Garlic Cloves – 10 cloves garlic (sliced in half) really infuses such a delicious flavor into the lamb.
- Olive Oil – 2 tablespoons of olive oil helps to brown the outside of the lamb just a tad.
- Sea Salt + Pepper – to season the lamb roast, you’ll need 1 tablespoon of sea salt + a ½ teaspoon of pepper.
- Fresh Herbs – 4 sprigs of fresh rosemary, 4 sprigs of fresh oregano, and 4 sprigs of fresh thyme add the most delicious, herby flavor here.
- Lemon Juice – a ½ cup (8 tablespoons) of lemon juice adds a touch of acidity and brightness. We recommend going with fresh lemon juice, so you’ll need about 4 whole lemon’s-worth of juice.
- White Wine – you’ll also want to grab 1 cup of white wine. If you’d prefer to omit the wine, simply swap in an additional ½ cup of lemon juice and ½ cup of chicken broth in its place.
- Chicken Broth – lastly, you’ll need 1 cup of chicken broth!
How to Make Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
This slow roasted leg of lamb recipe is really simple but makes for a dinner that is sure to impress. Here’s how you’ll pull it off:
- Preheat the oven to 450°F.
- Prepare the lamb roast – make 20 slits in the skin of the lamb roast, insert the garlic clove halves into the slits, then rub the leg with the olive oil, and liberally season it with salt and pepper.
- Bake – place the roast in a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid and bake uncovered at 450°F for 30 minutes, fat-side up.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and bake – add the thyme, rosemary, oregano, lemon juice, wine, and broth, then cover and bake at 350°F for 3 hours. Check toward the end to make sure that the liquids haven’t all dried up. If they have, add more broth as needed.
- Remove lid and bake – remove the lid, and bake for additional 30 minutes at 350°F or until the top of the lamb roast is browned. If liquid has dried, add more broth.
- Serve – serve with additional lemons, skim pan juices for the sauce (skimming off fat) and season to taste with additional salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
What to Serve with Roasted Lamb
This slow-roasted leg of lamb is absolutely delicious alongside mashed potatoes or roasted hasselback potatoes or this creamy mushroom risotto. Add a simple arugula and lemon salad and you’ve got a complete, really delicious meal!
Frequently Asked Questions
We prefer to do a combination of covered and uncovered baking so that the outside of the lamb can get nice and browned while the inside stays super tender and juicy.
We start our lamb at 450°F to help it brown, then lower the temperature to 350°F after about 30 minutes to help it get more tender.
We do a combination of covered and uncovered cooking here – about an hour total (30 minutes at the beginning and 30 minutes at the end) of uncovered cooking time and 3 hours of covered cooking time.
Sure! I would recommend searing it for 3-4 minutes per side over medium-high heat in a heavy-bottomed pan first, then transferring to the slow cooker. The lamb would take 4-6 hours on high or 8 hours on low in the slow cooker.
More Favorite Roast Recipes
Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb
Ingredients
- 1, 5-6 pound bone-in lamb leg roast
- 10 cloves garlic sliced in half
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 sprigs fresh oregano
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1 cup white wine
- 1 cup chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450 F.
- Make 20 slits in the skin of the lamb roast and insert garlic clove halves. Rub the leg with the olive oil, then liberally season with salt and pepper.
- Place the roast in a large, heavy-bottomed pot with a lid and bake uncovered at 450 F for 30 minutes, fat-side up.
- Add thyme, rosemary, oregano, lemon juice, wine, and broth, cover, and bake at 350 F for 3 hours. Check toward the end to make sure that the liquids haven’t all dried up. If it has, add more broth as needed.
- Remove cover, bake for additional 30 minutes at 350 F, or until top is browned. If liquid is dried, add more broth.
- Serve with additional lemons, skim liquids for the sauce (skimming off fat) and season to taste with additional salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Flavor is good. But I followed the recipe exactly. And it is completely dry. I am
About to have 15 people over for a holiday dinner and now have to Uber in something. I am so disappointed.
The last 30 minute uncovered is what probably did it in.
So upset about having to now order in a whole bunch of food.
If I were to put 2 legs of lamb in the oven to cook at the same time, what time adjustments would you recommend?
Excellent recipe, I’ve made it several times
Excellent recipe, I’ve made it several times
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your feedback with us! -Melissa
SO good! Thanks for the recipe! The best lamb recipe I’ve tried by far
I’m so glad to hear that, Megan! Thank you so much for taking the time to share this with us!
I have used this recipe several times and is now the only way I cook a leg of lamb . It turns out just as you explain and is enjoyed by everyone i have served it to. Thanks for a truly great Greek method.
That’s amazing, Elaine. Thank you so much for sharing this with us. We’re so glad you love it!
Followed the recipe to a tee and my lamb is literally rock hard and dry. Do not follow this recipe it does not work. I wasted $52 and my Easter meal was ruined.
Oh no, Alex. We’re so sorry it didn’t work out. This recipe has been tested many times, so I’m not sure what went wrong. Again, we are so sorry that this was your experience!
Looks like a great recipe. Can it be used with a boneless lamb roast? Can I use Herbes De Provence in place of fresh herbs?
Yes to both, Patty! Enjoy!!
Looks like a great recipe. Can it be used with a boneless lamb roast?
Hi,
This recipes sounds delicious. I’m trying to figure out if the lamb leg will fit in my Dutch oven. About how long is the leg and what size pan/pot did you use? Thank you,
Angela
Cassy uses a 6-quart dutch oven for this recipe, Angela! The length of the leg depends on where you get it from/what your butcher has, but they’re typically somewhere around 9 inches long.