Roast Leg of Lamb Recipe

Roast Leg of Lamb with Cumin and Garlic

Nothing epitomizes a proper Passover feast like a beautiful roasted leg of lamb sliced and served on your favorite Passover platter.  Lamb in my family is usually a treat saved for high holidays and special family gatherings.  Preparing a leg of lamb does not have to be a long, drawn out process, so long as you get your butcher to do some of the work for you. By asking him or her to butterfly the leg, the meat will cook more evenly, thus making the roasting process easier and more even.

Here is a great leg of lamb that uses cumin and garlic to create beautiful aroma and juicy, flavorful meat.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 10 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 1 8 lb leg of lamb, boned and butterflied to an even thickness (~ 4 3/4 to 5 1/2lbs once it has been butterflied and much of the fat has been removed)
• 1 lemon, juiced
• Minced fresh parsley or mint (optional)

Directions

1. Take the lamb out of the refrigerator and let it come up to room temperature (approximately 1 hour)
2. Preheat broiler on high for 10 minutes
3. Mix oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and oregano and spread the paste on both sides of the lamb
4. Place lamb, cut side up, on a large wire rack set over a foil-lined roasting pan. Broil, moving pan so entire surface browns evenly, about 8 minutes. Turn lamb over; continue to broil until well browned on the other side, about 8 minutes longer. Remove lamb from oven and let rest for 10 minutes. Turn off broiler.
5. Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees
6. Place lamb back into oven and roast for a total of 50 minutes to 1 hour, until a meat thermometer placed in the thickest part of the roast registers a rosy-pink 140 degrees. Check lamb several times after 30 minutes. If lamb gets done sooner, simply turn down oven to 170 degrees until ready to serve.
7. After the lamb has been taken from the oven, squeeze lemon juice over the roast and sprinkle with fresh herbs (if desired).  Carve and pour the pan juices over the roasted lamb before serving.  Serves  12.

** Recipe a variation on the original posted by USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson