Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

This Slow Roast Leg of Lamb is going to take your next Sunday roast to a whole new level! It’s ULTRA EASY and very forgiving. It does take patience, but you’ll be rewarded with tender lamb leg that can be pulled off the bone, served with a wickedly delicious rosemary garlic infused gravy.

For the lamb shoulder version, see this recipe: Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder.

Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – lamb leg should either be roasted exactly such that it’s blushing pink inside – either whole or butterflied – or long and slow so it’s ultra tender.

Blushing pink = meat thermometer or holding-your-breath-cross-your-fingers for that moment when you carve, hoping for juicy lamb rather than grey and dry. If that’s what you’re after, use this classic Whole Roast Lamb Leg recipe or my Greek Butterflied Leg of Lamb for a quicker boneless version – and yes, you really need a meat thermometer.

The easier way to roast Lamb Leg

If you’re after a much easier, less stressful way to roast lamb leg, cook it long and slow. You won’t need a knife to carve this. Just pull the meat off the bone with tongs.

And it’s Amazing. With a capital A!

Choose the best roast lamb recipe for you!

Ahhh, lamb, how I love thee! Some people love learning how to do fancy cake decorations. I admire from afar – I highly doubt you’ll ever see a towering 3 tier cake on here.

But big hunks golden brown roasted hunks of meat? THAT you will find here! 🙂 And I’ve shared quite a few roast lamb recipes over the years, so here’s a quick run down on each just in case this slow roasted version isn’t what you’re after:

Roast Lamb Recipes

Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy

Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma

Roast Lamb

• Slow roasted lamb leg – THIS recipe, a leg of lamb slow cooked until the meat is fall apart tender!

• Classic Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy – the classic, perfectly blushing pink inside

• Slow Cooker Roast Lamb – fall apart goodness in the convenience of your slow cooker

• Slow Roasted GREEK Leg of Lamb – garlicky lemony lamb that is slow roasted until meltingly tender

• Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder – the juiciest, most succulent roast lamb you will ever have!

• Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma – flavour bomb! Your favourite Lamb Shawarma, slow roasted and piled over couscous or stuffed in pita bread

• See all Roast Lamb recipes

How to make slow roast Leg of Lamb

The leg of lamb is roasted on a bed of onion, garlic and rosemary which serves three purposes:

1. to keep the lamb elevated out of the pan juices for even cooking;

2. flavour the flesh that’s in contact with it; and

3. flavours the pan juices which is used to make the gravy.

All the lamb needs is a sprinkle of salt and pepper, drizzle of olive oil. Add beef broth/stock and water into the pan (keeps everything all nice and moist + makes pan juices for gravy), cover then slow roast for 5 hours until tender and fall apart.

For an incredible hands-off version of this slow roast leg of lamb, try the Slow Cooker Roast Lamb!

How to make gravy for Roast Lamb

Just set the pan on the stove, mix in flour, then the pan juices and water Cook until it becomes a gravy consistency, then strain. I doubt you’ll need extra salt but add a good grind of pepper if you’re so inclined.

A great gravy comes down to the flavour in the pan juices and this one knocks it out of the park!

Sides to serve with roast lamb

Complete your meal! Here are a few suggestions for sides that go really well with roast lamb:

Potatoes au Gratin (Dauphinoise)

Brown Sugar Glazed Carrots

Baked Mac and Cheese

Creamy Buttery Mashed Potato

Cheesy Mini Potato Gratin Stacks (Muffin Tin)

Paris Mash (Rich Creamy Mashed Potato)

Creamy Mashed Cauliflower

Rocket Salad with Balsamic Dressing and Shaved Parmesan

Pea, Cabbage, Parmesan and Mint Salad

Side Dishes

Side Salads

I promised this was easy, and I meant it. It’s forgiving because if the meat’s not tender enough, you can just stick it back in the oven until it is – and you can cook for even an hour beyond necessary and it’s still going to be juicy.

If the gravy gets too thick, no dramas, just add a splash of water. If the gravy is lumpy, no worries, because in this recipe, it’s strained.

In short – it’s pretty hard to stuff up. If you’re a roast lamb first-timer, just give yourself a couple of extra hours because this lamb reheats great in the microwave or oven, as does the gravy.

Sunday night roast is never going to be the same again! – Nagi x

Just before you go!

Saturday 11 April 2020 – That you are here, looking at this roast lamb recipe for Easter 2020 fills my heart with happiness because it says that you are in some way able to hold onto Easter traditions, despite being stuck at home and unable to celebrate with extended family.

But for many healthcare workers around the world, including my hometown of Sydney, they will be working too hard to celebrate Easter. These brave men and women who are literally risking their lives to save ours.

I feel morally obliged to do something, so I am running a program where you can buy a meal from a local business for our overworked Frontliners. Too exhausted to cook, many are turning to fast food and those who try to cook are faced with empty supermarket shelves.

If you would like to Shout A Meal for a Sydney Frontliner to express your thanks, please click here for my fundraiser and here is more information about my program “Shout A Meal”.

Thank you for reading, and Happy Easter! – Nagi x

Slow Roast Leg of Lamb
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT

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Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

Author: Nagi

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 5 hrs 15 mins

Total: 5 hrs 30 mins

Main

Western

4.99 from 168 votes

Servings8

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Recipe video above. A very forgiving, very easy way to roast a leg of lamb. It's not the carving sort - the meat is so tender, you can pull it off the bone with tongs. Lamb leg is actually quite lean, so the best way to slow roast a leg of lamb is to partially submerge it in liquid and roast it covered for most of the time. This way, the flesh is infused with flavour and absorbs moisture. 

NOTE: Lamb leg should only be cooked to blushing pink & juicy (per this traditional Roast Lamb recipe) or slow cooked until fall apart which takes hours (this recipe). Anything in between is tough and not nice!

Ingredients

• ▢ 2.25 kg / 4.5 lb leg of lamb , bone in (or shoulder) (Note 1)
• ▢ Salt and pepper
• ▢ 1.5 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 1 whole garlic head , unpeeled, cut in half horizontally
• ▢ 1 onion , quartered (unpeeled is fine)
• ▢ 2 rosemary sprigs (2 = whisper of rosemary flavour, 4 sprigs = stronger flavour)
• ▢ 3 cups (750 ml) beef stock/broth , low sodium
• ▢ 2 cups (500 ml) water

Gravy:

• ▢ 4 tbsp (50g) flour (white)
• ▢ 1 cup (250 ml) water
• ▢ Salt and pepper , to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 170°C/335°F (standard) or 150°C (fan).
• Place garlic, onion and rosemary in a metal roasting pan.
• Place lamb leg right side up in the pan. (Note 2)
• Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper and rub it in.
• Turn lamb over and place it so it mostly sits on the garlic and onion. Sprinkle with more salt and pepper, rub it in. (Video helpful here)
• Drizzle lamb with olive oil. Pour broth and water around the lamb - it won't cover it, that's ok, the lamb sinks into it. Cover with foil (don't use a lid, you want a bit of liquid to steam out).
• Place in the oven and roast for 4.5 hours. (See Notes for roasting time table)
• Remove from the oven, remove foil. Turn lamb over. Check it to ensure the meat is tender (pry a bit off with a fork). If not, return, covered, to oven.
• Return uncovered lamb to oven for a further 45 minutes or until well browned.
• Remove lamb, spoon over pan juices generously. Transfer to serving platter, cover loosely with foil while you make the gravy (stays warm for 1 - 1.5 hours).

Gravy:

• Use a large spoon to skim off some of the fat from the surface of the liquid.
• Place pan on the stove on medium high. When the liquid bubbles, add flour.
• Use a whisk to mix it in - this may take a few minutes as the liquid reduces.
• Once it looks like sludge (see video), whisk in 1/2 - 1 cup of water until it becomes a gravy consistency to your taste. Adjust salt and pepper to taste - I rarely add extra salt.
• Strain gravy into a bowl, pressing juices out of the onion etc.
• Pour gravy into jug.

Serving:

• The meat is tender so you will only need tongs to tear the meat off. Serve with gravy.

Recipe Notes:

1. LAMB CUT: This recipe can be made with a leg or shoulder of lamb. Shoulder has more fat running through it than leg, so you can actually roast it uncovered (here's my Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder recipe), but this recipe will also work with shoulder. This recipe is designed for lamb leg because it's leaner, so it benefits greatly from slow roasting partially submerged in liquid so it doesn't dry out. Cooking it this way also infuses it with flavour.

2. The upper side of the lamb leg has more meat so we want to roast that partially submerged in the liquid for most of the cooking time. The upper side of the lamb is rounder and usually has more fat. The underside has less fat and is more flat.

3. TRY THIS WITH Truly Crunchy Roast Potatoes!

4. MORE ROAST LAMB: Ultra Tender Slow Cooker Roast Lamb, Slow Roasted Lamb Shoulder, Classic Roast Lamb with Gravy (i.e. it's blushing pink inside) and Slow Roasted GREEK Leg of Lamb (delish lemon garlic flavours!).

5. Roasting Times (this cook method is pretty forgiving so round up to determine cook time eg if your lamb is 1.8kg, use the 2 kg cook times):

6. Calories in the nutrition are higher than actual because I do not know how to adjust for the fat that is skimmed off the liquid before making the gravy. I usually throw out about 1/3 cup which means the calories is probably closer to 500 calories per serving, and that's assuming all the gravy is consumed.

Nutrition Facts

Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

Amount Per Serving (322 g)

Calories 605 Calories from Fat 342

% Daily Value*

Fat 38g58%

Saturated Fat 15g94%

Polyunsaturated Fat 2.8g

Monounsaturated Fat 17g

Cholesterol 198mg66%

Sodium 809mg35%

Potassium 712mg20%

Carbohydrates 6.5g2%

Fiber 0.5g2%

Sugar 0.8g1%

Protein 56g112%

Vitamin A 10IU0%

Vitamin C 1.2mg1%

Calcium 4mg0%

Iron 4.7mg26%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 322gCalories: 605cal (30%)Carbohydrates: 6.5g (2%)Protein: 56g (112%)Fat: 38g (58%)Saturated Fat: 15g (94%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 2.8gMonounsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 198mg (66%)Sodium: 809mg (35%)Potassium: 712mg (20%)Fiber: 0.5g (2%)Sugar: 0.8g (1%)Vitamin A: 10IUVitamin C: 1.2mg (1%)Calcium: 4mgIron: 4.7mg (26%)

Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Originally published Mary 2017. Updated for housekeeping matters April 2020 – no change to recipe!

More Roast Lamb Recipes

I love a good roast lamb – so I’ve shared a few over the years!

Roast Lamb Leg with Gravy

Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb

Slow Cooker Roast Lamb Leg

Slow Cooked Lamb Shoulder

Slow Cooked Lamb Shawarma

Roast Lamb

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