Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe

Boneless leg of lamb in a baking dish with potatoes and lemon slices.

Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe

This Boneless Leg of Lamb Recipe was made for home cooks. It’s easy, minimal work, but has restaurant-quality taste and presentation, making it perfect for a family dinner or party.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1 25

Brining Time12

Total Time13 40

Servings:

Calories: 488kcal

Author: Karin and Ken

Ingredients

Lamb

5 pound boneless leg of lamb butterflied off the bone
2 tablespoons kosher salt for dry brining
¼ cup butter melted or ½ stick butter
½ bulb garlic minced
2 teaspoon dried thyme
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 lemon zest

Potatoes

3 pounds yellow potatoes halved or quartered
2 tablespoon olive oil
½ tablespoon sea salt

Instructions

If desired, dry-brine at least 4 hours, 12+ for the best result in flavor and tenderness. Directions to follow.
Lay the lamb on your working surface flat, with the fat side down, and pat dry. Rub ½ of the salt on the inside, then roll up tight (cut off any thick fat areas for a less gamey taste) and tie with butcher’s twine with 1-2 inch gaps between. Pat dry the outside and rub with the remaining salt. Transfer to a baking sheet or plate and place in the fridge, uncovered.
About 30-60 minutes (depending on size) before cooking, remove from the fridge to allow the meat to come to room temperature (I did 60 minutes for a 5lb roast). You can transfer the roast to your roasting pan now.
When ready to cook, preheat oven to 325F keeping the rack in the middle of the oven.
Melt butter in a small saucepan, add garlic, dried thyme and ground black pepper. Cook for about a minute until fragrant. Set aside.
If cooking on a roasting pan without potatoes, place the roast on the top rack and add 1 ½ cups water to the bottom of the pan (this helps the fat to not burn and ensures it does not dry out).
If using potatoes, add to a casserole dish and drizzle in oil and salt.
Place roast on top of potatoes and lightly baste the meat with your prepared butter mixture, then zest a lemon overtop.
For medium rare, remove and tent the roast when the center reaches 115F, about 1 hour and 25 minutes. Then increase the heat to 450F. Once preheated, add the roast back in and cook for about 5-7 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and rest again, tented until about 132F.

Notes

Resting after roasting the boneless leg of lamb both times is a must to ensure that the lamb leg is perfectly juicy and tender for serving.
Uneven thickness or a hotter-than-average oven can cause the outside of the lamb to cook faster than the center. Tent it with foil if needed!
Use a digital meat thermometer to monitor the cooking of the boneless leg of lamb to ensure it’s cooked to your desired doneness.

Nutrition