Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb

"Are you making the lamb for someone, or is that for us?"

When my husband and I go out on a date, I usually order pizza for my four children.  But lazy summer days (where I don't have to shuttle them from sport practices, music lessons, and such) are ones where I can spend more time on a good dinner.

 I surprised them with a roasted leg of lamb and quinoa salad (recipe post coming Wednesday) last week before we headed out for dinner with some friends.  

Note: No, my children don't eat like this everyday.

 Here is a simple marinade which works wonderfully for lamb and chicken:   

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Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb

Serves 6-8

3 lb boneless leg of lamb

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Marinade:

1/2 cup packed fresh herb leaves (Rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, and sage are what I used)

1 Tablespoon sea salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

5 cloves of garlic peeled

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup olive oil, extra virgin

Using a food processor, pulse fresh herbs, garlic, salt, pepper, lime juice and zest.  With the motor running, slowly pour 1/4 cup of olive oil.  

Put lamb in a gallon size ziplock bag.  Scrape all the marinade into the bag and let the air out and zip it tightly.  Massage the bag so marinade will fully cover the meat.  Marinade overnight or at least 6 hours in the refrigerator.  

1 hour before cooking, let bag sit out to room temperature.  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. 

Using a large cast iron pan, preheat to med-high until almost smoking point.  Take the lamb out of the bag, gently pat dry, leaving the herb mixture as much as possible. 

Drizzle 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and sear the lamb on all sides.  

Once the meat is well browned, leave the meat in the pan and put it in the oven for 50 minutes to one hour until internal temperature reaches about 145 degrees for medium rare.  Remove lamb from the pan and cover loosely with a sheet of foil,  let rest for 15 minutes before carving.  Serve with your favorite sides.