Thanks! So I will leave it Bone IN. Martha Srewart says remove aitch bone. Huh? isnt that like a hip bone found on pork? Should I keep looking for the elusive lame leg aitch bone so that I can remove it? Does that make it easier to carve the roasted leg?

I like Patricia’s idea of inserting garlic. I want to add fresh rosemary and hope i can find some. Mu plant doesnt have many leaves.

So garlic, fresh rosemary, salt, pepper,— anything else? Lemon?

Some of the recipes say to tie it. Really? even if bone is left in it?

What to serve with it? Asparagus? Butternut Squash, Rice? or potato?

Can I just take from fridge, bring to room temperaure, then roast, or do I need to marinate or season it then wait for seasoning to get into lamb?

I also rub with olive oil.

But I've never bothered tying, I'm just lazy like that. It is supposed to make it cook more evenly.

What would you tie? As for rubbing with olive oil, lamb is fatty enough on it's own, for my taste.

I serve lamb with roasted potatoes, beets and carrots, with a salad of spring greens and strawberries.

I would season it early, even when still in the fridge. Otherwise, take it from the fridge, season with the garlic, herbs, etc. while it comes to room temp. You don't need to tie a bone-in roast, unless you have loose pieces hanging from it. I love roasted asparagus and roasted potatoes with lamb. A spinach salad is good, or I often serve a Greek-style panzanella salad with lamb. The panzanella is usually with grilled lamb. And tzatziki...always.

I think cooking roasts to a medium degree of doneness, as shown in the how to carve video Zalco links just above, is most commonly preferred. Lamb can get gamey tasting if cooked too much, especially to well done.

Roasts tend to be preferred well done in the UK and I think floral's suggested instructions are probably too long at too high a hot heat and may result in overcooking for a North American preference.

Also, braising method suggested often produces well done and stringy meat, a style some like but it's a shame to do that to leg of lamb.

I have never had a braised leg of lamb come out overdone nor stringy. Having a hard time imagining it, but I'd guess it was done too hot if that happened.

Does it come out medium rare or medium?

I have always cooked it bone in. The bone adds so much flavor and the meat does not dry out. Always lots of garlic and Rosemary, olive oil, salt and pepper.

There is no reason to tie a bone in. You would need to tie a butterfly cut.

I always cooked it medium/well.

Jane

I would also have trouble with a leg of lamb that was cooked to the doneness implied by braising. I prefer mine medium rare.

I really like it grilled as opposed to roasted so use a butterflied leg for that. Otherwise, I have roasted bone-in and boneless....depending on what was on offer at the grocer. But only to medium rare :-)

I use Greek seasonings when I grill but just s&p and garlic when I roast. And I always serve the roast with roasted potatoes and mint sauce. The grilled version comes with whatever Mediterranean type sides might appeal - couscous or rice pilaf, Greek salad, grilled peppers and eggplant......

Elmer, we eat our lamb pink in the middle. In our family we do not prefer any roast well-done. The quality of meat we get would be ruined by overcooking. I roast a lamb joint at least once a month. Perhaps my oven thermometer isn't accurate but those are the temps I use. We serve it with roast potatoes, roast root veg and some kind of plain greens to counteract the richness. And, of course, mint jelly.

Lockdown garden lunch 2020..

“Elmer, we eat our lamb pink in the middle. In our family we do not prefer any roast well-done. The quality of meat we get would be ruined by overcooking.”

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK that’s encouraging. I’ve never spent more than a stopover in the UK but for some reason this quote from ”A Year in Provence” is etched in my memory:

”He had once been in England, and had eaten roast lamb at a hotel in Liverpool. It had been gray and tepid and tasteless. But of course, he said, it is well known that the English kill their lamb twice; once when they slaughter it, and once when they cook it.” 😂

I also prefer lamb medium rare. Though braising won’t produce that result, it can still mean a very tender and delicious leg of lamb. For the most part, lamb is always grilled at our house. I make a lamb and artichoke stew that’s tasty and use boneless leg for that.

Lamb chops are my favorite meat, with bone-in lamb roast a close second. Slow roast to medium rare. Mustard paste or salt/rosemary. Never mint sauce or jelly. Our senior UK friend claims he DM served that to disguise dry, over-cooked, gamey *mutton*.

Mint jelly is too sweet for me but mint sauce is nicely picante, a sweet-tart counterpoint to offset the richness of the lamb.

Growing up with British parents, having some sort of jelly or chutney served with any roast meat was pretty much SOP. Somewhat like serving cranberry sauce with turkey :-) And there was a perpetual pot of Coleman's mustard on the table as well, mostly for benefit of my dad. Too spicy hot for us kids!!

I make my own mint jelly and it’s quite zingy. There’s vinegar in it. The lamb is organic, local, tasty and never dry. I like a strong flavour and have no objection to gaminess. When hogget is available we always buy that.

We are having lamb chops for dinner. This thread must have been in the back of my mind when I pulled them out of the freezer. They will be sauted in the merest bit of oil to medium rare and served with baked potato and a green salad with pickled artichoke hearts.

floral, I think acceptance of stronger and even gamey lamb flavors is much more common in the UK than in the US. The most frequent complaint I've heard from people who don't like lamb is that they find the flavor too strong, and when further questioned, often admit having cooked it to a well done degree that I think is part of the problem.

Mild lamb flavor is I believe most appreciated here and in addition to that being considered by suppliers when choosing animal sources for supply to US markets, can be further insured by consumers by cooking it to medium rare or a bit but not much more.

And, as someone who hasn't lived in the UK but has visited pretty regularly over the years, I've often found that the customary practices of local cooks and restaurants (not those with foreign influences) is to overcook both meat and vegetables. Much more so that I've experienced in Continental Europe, where I lived for several years.

“…often admit having cooked it to a well done degree that I think is part of the problem.”

That can definitely be the case. I know I’ve served lamb (marinated and grilled) to guests who commented the taste was nothing like they remembered. In many cases the memory was from their childhood. There are those who simply don’t like lamb no matter how it’s cooked.

I actually prefer hogget to lamb but it’s really hard to find here these past 20 years or so since everyone is on the lamb bandwagon now. I used to stick it with garlic slivers and rub it with ginger and thyme iirc, then brown it all over on the stove top before flambéing it in gin then roasting it in tthe oven. Really yummy.

Flambaying in gin...Wow... not brandy? Gin for the piney taste?

I ahven't seen a bone in leg of lamb here in ages. Ususaly its a boneless roast from New Zealand....and I often butterfly that and grill it like a steak, often with a Greek spin, garlic olive oil oregano and finish with some fresh lemon....or do the dijon rosemary garlic smear.

When I could get a whole leg, I would cut slits and stuff with slivers of garlic and roast at about 375 to 400 till about 125 and resting would bring it up to just past rare. Always mint jelly if you wish, and always springey things...asparagus, new peas tiny red potatoes or rice.

Not sure why the recipe specified gin (Colonial Williamsburg Lamb) but once I accidentally used tequila and that worked too :-).

I also quite like mutton, it’s great for a curry as it doesn’t break down to mush.

I thought you were supposed to DRINK the gin while cooking the lamb. That might not work very well with open flames around. Keep the fire department on standby!

I think I have only had lamb once outside of Gyros and that was when my niece's first husband, who was French, roasted a leg of lamb for Christmas dinner along with several other things I'd never eaten before or since.

Linda, indeed, finding bone in leg of lamb is hard these days, and this thread has me craving just that for Easter. Worse comes to worst, I'll get racks of lamb instead, hardly a hardship, but I really feel like the mustard encrusted leg.

Crowd Cow had bone in leg of lamb, sold out.

This thread has also started my mouth watering as well :-) I love lamb!! Most of the lamb in stores here is locally raised (Yakima Valley and Oregon) and is wonderful. And you can get any cut of meat you like - bone-in, bone out rolled, butterflied, chops, shanks, kebobs, ground. But at break the bank pricing....ground lamb goes for $13.99 a pound!!

I also haven't seen a bone-in leg of lamb for awhile. Likely easy to order one. I do see plenty of the rest gardengal mentioned. I buy ground lamb for $8/lb. Sam's had two-packs of ground lamb (one pound each) for $12, but I haven't seen them there lately.

Off topic but this recipe from Weber is one of my favorites for ground lamb. I often just form the meat into patties instead of meatballs for grilling. Gotta serve these with tzatziki...yum! I use all lamb instead of half lamb/half beef.

Weber's Mount Olympus Meatball Kabobs

Note: Taste is best when the meatballs/patties sit for several hours in the fridge before grilling.

2 medium garlic cloves, chopped
1 small red or yellow onion, roughly chopped (about 1 cup)
1/4 cup lightly packed fresh mint leaves, chopped
3/4 pound ground lamb
3/4 pound ground beef
1 T. red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika

Combine garlic, onion and mint in large bowl with lamb, beef and remaining meatball ingredients. Blend lightly with your hands until well combined. Form into meatballs about 1 1/2 inches in diameter (you should have 20-25 meatballs). Thread long, wide skewers through meatballs, about 4 or 5 per skewer, leaving a little room between each meatball. Place kabobs on baking sheet, cover and chill for 2 hours and up to 8 hours.

Lightly brush or spray kabobs on all sides with olive oil. Grill over direct medium heat until fully cooked, 8-10 minutes, gently rotating meatballs 2 or 3 times during grilling.

ETA - I haven't tried this but remembered it from Ina. Could be a good option for anyone interested in braising a bone-in leg.

https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/4-hour-lamb-recipe-2105155 

Another who grew up on a tasty New England leg of lamb for Sunday dinner. But the most anticipated part of the meal were the baked potatoes that accompanied the roast. Everyone falls in love with them. Easy and delicious. Peel enough potatoes for those dining plus more for 'seconds'. Par boil them while roast is cooking and when they reach that stage, pour off the cooking water and let the potatoes remain in the pan until roast is half-way cooked and exuding lots of fat. Place the half-cooked potatoes all around the roasting leg of lamb, rolling each all over in the accumulated cooking fat. Those potatoes will brown nicely as they bake and develop an exciting flavor.

I’d call those roast potatoes rather than baked. After par boiling and draining shake the pan to break up the surface of the spuds. It gives a greater surface area to crisp them up better.

The price of ground lamb I mentioned earlier is now $9/lb. Just bought some.

Chloebud, I think gardengal was speaking of Oregon lamb in particular, which is quite good, along with Sonoma lamb and Colorado lamb.

And thank you for that lovely recipe. I will definitely make it later this month. I will use all lamb as you suggested.

Zalco, thanks…that makes sense about the price. We’ve had lamb from Colorado that was very good. The price can really differ around here, and I’m guessing most is imported. I’m picky about lamb; it has to be mild in flavor and that’s what we get. My sister-in-law’s ex-husband was Greek. Every Greek Easter he and his friends would roast a whole lamb on a spit over a fire in their backyard. It was truly the best lamb I’ve ever had. Then his family and friends would show up with all those incredible Greek dishes. I still think about it all!

I hope you try the Mount Olympus recipe. I mixed all the ingredients today to park in the fridge for tomorrow’s dinner.

Chloe, I will absolutely make that lamb recipe after Easter.

As for Greeks and Easter, nobody does it better. Their Easter mass is spectacular too. And they share a communal meal afterwards that is TDF, lots of Feta and a delicious soup with meatballs.

I just ordered bone-in, American leg of lamb from Williams-Sonoma. It will arrive the 14th, just in case anyone else is having a serious craving.

I made the leg of lamb on Friday but I was exhausted and slept for two day after. I didnt get very good photos, but it was absolutely delicious and I 2ant to thank all of you for your inspiring suggestions and reipes. I studded the roast with garlic cloves and made a paste of dijon mustard, lots of fresh rosemary, salt and pepper. It came out well. I was so tired, I baerely recall the details.

We had potatoes and greens and gravy.

I love lamb, but do not eat it frequently. One of my preferred way of enjoying it is with marinated kabobs, with vegetables such as tomatoes, peppers, mushroom, onions grilled and served with a Greek salad in fresh pita bread. I’ll get the recipes and photos sometime is anyone is interested. The marinade is the recipe for Greek salad dressing from a Rodale cookbook. It includes yogurt, olive oil, garic, thyme, oregano, ?marjoram, ?sage, salt, pepper, ______, and _______. Marinade and salad dressing are the same Rodale recipe. Medium rare.

I made the recipe kabob salad pita thing up from inspiration after eating something like this in a western Massachusetts college town. Heavenly.

Nicely done, petalique!

Zalco, you're so right about the Greeks doing it best. I just might show up at your house around the 14th! ;-)

Greek or Orthodox Easter is celebrated on a different date (different calendar). This year it is a week later, 4/24.

We have a Greek component to our family as well :-)

gardengal, right…different calendar. Those Greek components are awfully nice! Some of the best food I’ve ever had came from those Greek Easter gatherings. The only part that didn’t appeal was I recall conversation about the lamb’s head being some kind of delicacy. No thanks!

Your roast lamb looks lovely!

I hope you had enough leftovers for sandwiches. I love cold roast lamb (or beef) in a sandwich with mustard and lettuce 😋

Thanks for the video, Zalco. And, floral-uk, your garden dinner of roast leg of lamb almost had me buying airline tix. What a delicious and inspiing looking roast and beautiful setting. Very beautiful flowers as well. Thank you!

Chloebud, thanks for the recipe.

Thanks for the ideas. There isn’t very much left over that is edible meat but I think I might have enough to make something like these Greek wraps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIQd-mTrJlo

And I may put some additional raw sweet onion in the mixes well with the onions in the pan mix.

The “dried herb mix“ isn’t specified but I gather it would be something that would include the following: parsley, thyme, oregano, rosemary, dill, maybe green onion? Salt and pepper we’re not mentioned but I probably add a little bit of that. What do you think?

I don’t have any tzatziki sauce and I don’t know how to make any so I may when I run out to do errands pick some up. I’ll make some from scratch another day. I hope the deli counter has a decent tzatziki offering.

That will leave the bone, sinew, fat and some gravy remaining for maybe a soup stock or something but I wouldn’t be able to make a lot of it but maybe a couple of cups with vegetables onion carrot…. I don’t have the time or the ingredients to get into making something like shepherd’s pie or casserole.

ETA Maybe I should make another lamb dinner for Greek Easter on the 24th. Yum!

petalique, this is the recipe I use if you feel like making tzatziki. It's from Ina Garten and pretty darn tasty. I don't add the olive oil since it doesn't seem to add much IMO. I use Greek yogurt for this...no need for cheesecloth and draining. As with many recipes from Ina, I go a little easy on the salt. Also, this is easy to cut in half, if needed. Sour cream's not traditional in tzatziki but works really well here.

Tzatziki (Makes about 2 1/2 cups)

1 pint plain yogurt (whole milk or low fat)
1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled and seeded
1 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh dill (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
Pinch freshly ground black pepper

Place the yogurt in a cheesecloth or paper towel-lined sieve and set it over a bowl. Grate the cucumber and toss it with 1 tablespoon of kosher salt; place it in another sieve, and set it over another bowl. Place both bowls in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours so the yogurt and cucumber can drain.(you can drain the yogurt overnight)

Transfer the thickened yogurt to a large bowl. Squeeze as much liquid from the cucumber as you can and add the cucumber to the yogurt. Mix in the sour cream, vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, dill or parsley, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper. You can serve it immediately, but I prefer to allow the tzatziki to sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for the flavors to blend. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Tzatsiki we used to get in Tarpon Springs restaurants was generally grated, squeezed cucumber, garlic, dill, lemon juice and a little salt, and Greek yoghurt, with olive oil drizzled over before serving.

Thanks chloebud and caeolb. I fetched the lamb leg and there was barely a thing left on it. It wasny that large in the first place. I removed what I could, perhaps 1 cup, then mixed it w some shrimp, onion, mushrooms, rosemary, garlic & seasonings and approximated the wrap recipe. I tried to approximate the tzatziki, but had no dill or cuke. But I mixed a bit of sour cream and drained yogurt with a bit of seasoned thick greek salad dressing. Added some fresh cilantro, and a bit of cumin (Mexican sidetrip?). I rolled it up w onion, lettuce, cilantro, tomato with the relative of tzatziki. It was devine 😋

Shrimp can go very well with lamb, duck, chicken and pork

The lamb was not gamey, but definitely lamb, not beef or pork. I often wonered it when people said they did noy like lamb, that they had previously been served mutton (school cafeteria?).

Lamb, like goat cheese, has a definite signature. I’ve never eaten goat meat, and wonder if it tastes a tad ”goaty.” Anyone?

I like goat meat very much indeed. We buy it whenever we see it for sale. It’s not particularly strong imo but I do enjoy definite flavours. I like my goat cheese as goaty as possible.

Btw mutton is delicious in my view but hard to find.

Is mutton the meat from an older or mature goat? And would you prepare it in the same way as spring lamb?

What about mutton do you like?

ETA I am goig to read this page at Spruce Eats:

https://www.thespruceeats.com/what-is-mutton-4846499

Mutton is the meat of a mature sheep - 3 or more years old. We had mutton occasionally growing up, which my mum used to make Lancashire Hotpot. It is best with long, slow cooking. I still love Hotpot but make it now with lamb, as mutton is just not available. It's not the same......... :-(

What do I like about mutton? Simply the flavour.

From grocery store or market:

21 g or0.77 Lb All Natureal ZLamb Leg Steak, $14.99 unit price. Total $11.54 USD.

Sea Scallops and fresh Northeast US Lobster are about the same price.

Why is lamb so expensive? I used to knit with wool yarn (I love wool!). That is also very expensive. So maybe I should sell my stash.

About 38 year old knitted mitten, 100% worsted wool. Smells great when coated with snow in January.

Groceries brought the lamb steak and the deli tzaziki ( <— tasted good)..

I should probably cook that 0.77 Lb, $11.50 lamb steak because freezing it would likely screw up the texture and taste (no flash freezer, so ice crystals).

DH is apathetic about lots of things and lamb is in that huge bucket. So I am free to stuff my gullet and increase my lipid profile and girth. I have available: fresh green beans, broccoli, brussels sprouts.

What? Pan fried medium rare? Grilled. Fresh rosemary and garlic?

I still have a FLAT corned beef (vac pack) in fridge. I might have to freeze that.

Freezing the lamb steak and corned beef is fine if wrapped well. I have a couple corned beef flats in the freezer now. I buy lamb leg steaks at TJ's all the time to grill...medium rare. They're delicious marinated in the Dijon Mustard Marinade I posted earlier here. This is another one we like. I tweaked it from the Silver Palate's marinade for a whole grilled butterflied lamb leg.

1 /4 cup red wine

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 large garlic clove, chopped

Chopped fresh rosemary and mint, to taste

1/4 to 1/2 tsp. coarsely ground black pepper