Roast Leg of Lamb in an Herb Crust Recipe
From:
The Silver Spoon
, by
Editors of Phaidon Press
Makes:
6 servings
This recipe comes from the The Silver Spoon cookbook, a veritable Bible of Italian cooking. Seasoned with nothing more than a handful of fresh herbs, the lamb leg roast is a perfect cut for serving a group. Try it alongside Olive Potatoes for a spectacular Sunday supper.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
- 1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary needles
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- Salt and pepper
- 4-1/2-pound leg of lamb
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat the oven to 475°F. Combine the thyme, oregano, parsley, and rosemary in a bowl, add the oil and breadcrumbs, season with salt and pepper, and mix well.
- Place the lamb in a large roasting pan, spread the herb mixture over it, and roast for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350°F, add 2/3 cup warm water to the roasting pan, and roast for 15 minutes more.
- Remove the lamb from the roasting pan, cover with foil, and let stand for 10 minutes. Carve the meat and place on a warm serving dish. For a side dish, halve and seed some tomatoes, fill with breadcrumbs and chopped oregano, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 15 minutes.
Beverage pairing: Château La Nerthe Châteauneuf-du-Pape, France. Lamb is often great with Cabernet, but the herbs in this recipe push the wine choice to France’s southern Rhône, where these herbs grow wild and show up in the wine with great verve. This Grenache-based bottle is a blend of the 13 traditional varietals of this part of southern France.
This recipe, while from a trusted source, may not have been tested by the CHOW food
team.
most leg of lamb roast are nowhere near four pounds nowadays!!!! come on people let get logical
Thanks Gingergirl! I'm gonna' give that recipe a try! I'll let you know how it goes. I have another recipe for slow=roaster lamb shoulder that also looks great; if you want the particulars, let me know.
DWWS
Thanks Gingergirl! I'm gonna' give that recipe a try! I'll let you know how it goes. I have another recipe for slow=roaster lamb shoulder that also looks great; if you want the particulars, let me know.
DWWS
Hi DWWS,
I never heard back from Aidam, and didn't pursue the recipe.
According the USDA. a bone-in 4-7 lb. leg of lamb, at refrigerator temperature, roasted at 325F:
20-25 minutes per lb / medium-rare (145 degrees).
25-30 minutes per lb / medium (160 degrees)
Because the roast should stand for at least 10 minutes at room temperature before carving, the internal temperature
will also rise...+READ
Hi DWWS,
I never heard back from Aidam, and didn't pursue the recipe.
According the USDA. a bone-in 4-7 lb. leg of lamb, at refrigerator temperature, roasted at 325F:
20-25 minutes per lb / medium-rare (145 degrees).
25-30 minutes per lb / medium (160 degrees)
Because the roast should stand for at least 10 minutes at room temperature before carving, the internal temperature
will also rise slightly during the stand time.
IMHO, if I were to apply those basic cook times to a 5 lb leg of lamb (and were using this particular recipe), I'd follow the recipe as written with the exception of changing the roast time, (after adding the water and lowering the temperature to 350F), to 1 hr. 15 minutes because the initial searing at high heat plus the remaining roast temperature of 350F (instead of 325F) should effectively reduce the USDA's recommended roasting time.
Without using a meat thermometer, you have only two risks: (1) The lamb may be slightly overdone; or (2) the lamb will be too rare -- in which case you just return it to the oven for more cooking time. If you are expecting company, or if this is for a special occasion, do not wait until the last minute to roast the lamb -- instead plan for it to be done at least 1/2 hr. prior to serving.
After allowing it to stand for 10 minutes out of the oven, take a thin knife and insert it all the way to the bone of the thickest part in an unobtrusive place on the roast. If this allows you to "peek" inside to take a look (and it appears too rare), or if VERY red meat juices are exuded, cover with foil, and put the roast back in the oven at 250 to 300F until serving time.
Good luck. Happy New Year back attcha!
Gingergirl-COLLAPSE
Hi DWWS,
I never heard back from Aidam, and didn't pursue the recipe.
According the USDA. a bone-in 4-7 lb. leg of lamb, at refrigerator temperature, roasted at 325F:
20-25 minutes per lb / medium-rare (145 degrees).
25-30 minutes per lb / medium (160 degrees)
Because the roast should stand for at least 10 minutes at room temperature before carving, the internal temperature
will also rise...+READ
Hi DWWS,
I never heard back from Aidam, and didn't pursue the recipe.
According the USDA. a bone-in 4-7 lb. leg of lamb, at refrigerator temperature, roasted at 325F:
20-25 minutes per lb / medium-rare (145 degrees).
25-30 minutes per lb / medium (160 degrees)
Because the roast should stand for at least 10 minutes at room temperature before carving, the internal temperature
will also rise slightly during the stand time.
IMHO, if I were to apply those basic cook times to a 5 lb leg of lamb (and were using this particular recipe), I'd follow the recipe as written with the exception of changing the roast time, (after adding the water and lowering the temperature to 350F), to 1 hr. 15 minutes because the initial searing at high heat plus the remaining roast temperature of 350F (instead of 325F) should effectively reduce the USDA's recommended roasting time.
Without using a meat thermometer, you have only two risks: (1) The lamb may be slightly overdone; or (2) the lamb will be too rare -- in which case you just return it to the oven for more cooking time. If you are expecting company, or if this is for a special occasion, do not wait until the last minute to roast the lamb -- instead plan for it to be done at least 1/2 hr. prior to serving.
After allowing it to stand, covered for 10 minutes out of the oven, take a thin knife and insert it all the way to the bone of the thickest part in an unobtrusive place on the roast. If this allows you to "peek" inside to take a look (and it appears too rare), or if VERY red meat juices are exuded, cover with foil, and put the roast back in the oven at 250 to 300F until serving time.
Good luck. Happy New Year back attcha!
Gingergirl-COLLAPSE
Hi Gingergirl & aidam:
I, too, noticed the seemingly short cooking time in my copy of the Silver Spoon last night, so I must ask: what (approximately) is the correct cooking time and at which temperature (how do I reach an internal temperature of 140f-150f)? Please help!
Happy New Year,
DWWS
Hello, aidam. Well, WE know the roasting time -- I was just a tad concerned about those who might not. I appreciate your making me feel better about my own typo's when I don't "ketchem" . . . I'm new to CH and didn't know whether or not I could amend a listed recipe. Thanks for your post.
Hi, Gingergirl. This recipe is as it's written in the Silver Spoon cookbook. I will check with the editors at Phaidon if something literally got lost in translation, but you want to roast it until you have an internal temperature of 140F to 150F for rare to medium-rare. Thanks.
Wow -- looks like a delicious recipe -- and the best part is that the entire 4-1/2 lb. roast cooks in only 1/2-hour!!!! Are we missing some additional roast time here? Hope so. Thanks.