Roast Leg of Lamb: A Greek Easter Dish

I've never made roast leg of lamb before. My friend Erma offered to come over and make it, so I figured why not, we'll try something new.

No one in my family is a huge fan of lamb. Gran Fran, my mom, pretty much despises the smell and taste of it. We have said in the past that it tastes like static and that we'd rather not eat it. When my friend Erma asked if I'd like to learn to cook a leg of lamb, I immediately said yes. Even though I wasn't thrilled about eating it (which I committed to as we were going to all of the trouble to make it), I was excited to learn how to make something new. With the amount of cooking that I do, it's rare occasion when I find a dish I've never made.

The leg of lamb was very simple to make. Erma went to a great butcher shop and got us a really nice leg of lamb. The recipe calls for just a few simple ingredients, but in large quantities. The flavors of the garlic, lemon and oregano really permeates the meat to give it a really fresh flavor against the very strong meatiness of the lamb.

 When it was fully roasted, I gave it a taste. I have to say, it's the first lamb I've ever eaten where I took a second bite by choice. It's still not my favorite, but I could see myself making this for a crowd sometime.

Click here to see how to cut a leg of lamb

Greek-Style Roast Leg of Lamb

Ingredients:

  • 1 large leg of lamb
  • 6 loves garlic
  • 3 lemons, juiced
  • 1 cup oregano
  • 5 tablespoons salt
  • 5 tablespoons fresh ground pepper

Method:

Prepare the Lamb: The day before you plan to serve it:

  1. Cut slits through the fat of the lamb, each one big enough for  a clove of garlic.
  2. Stuff garlic cloves into the slits, pushing garlic well into the meat.
  3. Pour lemon juice over the lamb, rubbing it all over both sides of the meat.
  4. Coat with oregano and salt and pepper, again making sure to cover as much of the surface area of the meat on all sides with the spices.
  5. Cover and refrigerate over night.

note: if you don't have a whole night to marinade the meat, 2 to 10 hours in the fridge will work.

Cook the Lamb:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F for at least 25 minutes.
  2. Cook for 30 minutes, making sure the oven rack is in the middle of the oven.
  3. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F and continue roasting for about an hour.
  4. Remove the meat from the oven when a meat thermometer reads 135 degrees.
  5. Let rest for ten minutes and then carve (see above for a link to a carving video)

 

Winner, Chicken Dinner.

We ate lots of chicken growing up, but Gran Fran got hers from a butcher. A nice, old place, run by a bunch of (as I recall her saying) good looking German men. They'd always give me a mini hot dog while they got our order together.

The quality of the meat Gran Fran bought (and still does) raised all of us with the taste for only the best. She generally stuck to chicken breasts, sometimes legs if there was frying going on, or whole chickens for roasting.

As an adult, therefore, Chicken thighs were a revelation to me. I get the feeling that using Chicken thighs vs some fancier part of the chicken, ranked up there with buying inferior meat products, in Gran Fran's world. Because the flavor and moistness of thighs is sooooo good, I am straying from the Gran Fran and using Chicken thighs a lot.

The recipe featured here only takes about 30 minutes to marinate, saute and then bake, so it's an excellent weeknight meal. I made it for a friend, and served my daughter (remember Ms Iz?) some of the leftovers. Being somewhat cautious about sauces and flavors, I worried Ms Iz would not eat it. But, to my joy, she loved it and has asked me to make it again.

Goes to show, I should probably make the 12 year old eat more sauces....

Chicken Thighs with Oregano, Honey, Mustard and Lemon

  • 8 chicken thighs

  • 2 tbsps Honey

  • 1 tbsp Mustard

  • 1/2 cup Olive Oil, plus more for sauteeing

  • Juice of 1 Lemon

  • 2 cloves Garlic, sliced thinly

  • 1/4 tsp Dried Oregano

  • Salt and Pepper to taste

  • 1/4 cup White Wine or Dry Vermouth

Method
  • In a large non-reactive(!) bowl, place honey, mustard, olive oil, one half of the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. 

  • Stir until all ingredients are mixed well.

  • Add chicken thighs. Using your hands, thoroughly cover the chicken with the marinade.

  • Set aside for five minutes (if you have more time, you can let it sit for as long as you'd like).

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

  • Once chicken has marinated for as long as you have, heat a large ovenproof skillet over high heat.
  • Add oil when the pan is good and hot.
  • Place chicken thighs skin side down onto pan. Pour remaining marinade over chicken.
  • Do not disturb them for five to eight minutes, until you see the side of the skin curling up a bit.
  • Move thighs to one side of pan, add garlic slices and quickly turn over the thighs to rest on top of the garlic.
  • Squeeze remaining one half lemon juice over top of the chicken.
  • Remove pan from flame.
  • Add white wine or vermouth, trying to pour it underneath the chicken, so as to not soak the skin side.
  • Sprinkle oregano, salt and pepper over the chicken.
  • Place pan in preheated oven and bake for twelve more minutes, until meat is cooked through and juices run clear.
Enjoy!