Butterflied, Rolled, and Roasted Leg of Lamb
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- Prep Time 20 minutes
- Total Time 2 hours 35 minutes
- Yield Serves 8 to 10
Ingredients
- 4 ounces pancetta, thinly sliced and finely chopped
- Steamed garlic cloves (from <a href="/recipe/steamed-artichokes-with-lemon-garlic-aioli">Steamed Artichokes</a>),
- 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese (1 ounce)
- 1/2 cup fresh plain breadcrumbs
- 1/4 cup fresh mint, finely chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
- 8 artichoke hearts (from <a href="/recipe/steamed-artichokes-with-lemon-garlic-aioli">Steamed Artichokes</a>), finely chopped
- 1 leg of lamb, bone removed (7 to 8 pounds), butterflied
- Extra-virgin olive oil, for rubbing
- 2 cups water
- <a href="/recipe/fresh-mint-sauce">Fresh-Mint Sauce</a> for serving
Directions
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Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Pulse pancetta, garlic, cheese, breadcrumbs, mint, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and some pepper in a food processor until combined. Add artichokes. Pulse a few times, keeping mixture chunky.
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Lay lamb flat on a work surface, skin side down. Season with salt. Spread artichoke mixture over top, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Tightly roll lamb, and tie with kitchen twine at 2-inch intervals to hold.
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Rub lamb with oil, and season generously with salt and pepper. Transfer to a roasting pan fitted with a roasting rack, and add water to pan. Roast for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer reaches 130 degrees to 135 degrees (for medium-rare), 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes. Let rest for 20 to 30 minutes before carving. Serve with mint sauce.
I used a 5+ pound boneless leg of lamb; pepper bacon instead of pancetta and two bags of frozen artichoke hearts and removed some of the sometimes tougher outer leaves. It took 1:45 to cook and got nice and crispy on the outside. I, unfortunately, had to let it sit longer than I would have liked before eating, so it cooked a bit more than it should have. It was still very tasty. Be sure to use LOTS of mint in the sauce - 'a bunch of mint' means different things to different people!