Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb + Red Wine Sauce

Easter is almost here and most of my people are vaccinated which means WE ARE GOING TO EAT INSIDE TOGETHER. I cannot contain my excitement y’all! It has been over a year since we ate together indoors and I have missed my people so much. I have missed cooking and talking with my friends. Ugh. I’m tearing up just thinking about how grateful I am for my people and the opportunity to gather around our table again.

If you are ready to go all out on your Easter celebration this year too, I have the perfect recipe for you! Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb + Red Wine Sauce. I found a shank-on leg of lamb at our Publix, on sale for under $30 this week. So this is also a pretty budget-friendly celebration cut of meat! Just cover the whole thing in garlic, herbs, and oil. Then roast it, then you are good to go! It is a pretty simple recipe and process, but a few things made it even easier (these are affiliate links, FYI):

• Programmable Meat Thermometer: If you are like me, you are doing a dozen things at one time as you get ready for a big holiday meal. Set this thermometer for your desired temperature and it will let you know when the roast is done!
• Roasting Pan with a Rack: Lamb on the top, wine on the bottom. Then the roast will cook with all of the winey-brothy flavors but still get a nice crust from the garlic + herbs. Then just set the pan on the eye of the stove to reduce the sauce before serving!
• Food chopper – My immersion blender came with a chopper attachment, but you can use any chopper. I also like this hand-powered chopper that my kids can use and feel helpful in the kitchen. Heck, you COULD chop everything by hand, but 10 cloves of garlic is a lot to mince. I would just suggest chopping everything WITHOUT the olive oil first and then stirring the oil in. Sometimes olive oil can get bitter when it is blended at high speeds.

Easter Feast!

I like to serve this Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb with some roasted veggies and air-fried potatoes. And of course Deviled Eggs! And if you are still having a small meal this year, I FEEL YOU. I have a collection of delicious recipes that are easily modified for large or small gatherings, but will still feel special to whoever is gathered around your table!

Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb + Red Wine Sauce

The perfect Easter dinner entrée! Herb Roasted Leg of Lamb is covered in herbs and garlic and cooked with wine and broth.

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Rest 15 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 45 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Easter, Holiday Meals, lunch, Main Course, Meat+Fish

Equipment

• Food chopper
• Digital meat thermometer
• Roasting pan with rack

Ingredients

  

• Semi-boneless leg of lamb 5-7 lbs
• 12 cloves garlic
• 2, 1/2 ounce clamshell of rosemary leaves removed from the stems and roughly chopped
• 1, 1/2 ounce clamshell of thyme leaves removed from the stems and roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp salt
• 1/2 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• Zest + Juice of 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Bottle of dry red wine I used Malbec but use what you got or what you like!
• 2 cups chicken broth plus maybe 1 more cup if the liquid cooks down in the oven

Instructions

 

• Pat the lamb so that it is dry. Set it aside.
• Add the garlic to the food chopper and chop until finely minced. Then add the herbs (rosemary and thyme), salt, black pepper, lemon zest, and crushed red pepper. Pulse the chopper until everything is combined. Stir in the olive oil. The mixture should almost look like pesto.
• Rub the garlic + herb mixture all over the lamb. Let it sit on the counter to come up to room temperature for about 30 minutes to an hour.
• Preheat oven to 450°.
• Using a roasting pan with a rack pour 2 cups of the wine and all of the broth into the bottom of the pan. Place the lamb, fat side up, on the rack.
• Insert a digital meat thermometer into a meaty part of the roast, avoiding the bones. I highly recommend using a digital meat thermometer when cooking for large holiday meals. If you are like me, you are doing a dozen things at once to get ready for your meal. Using a digital thermometer that can alert you when the meat reaches a specific temp takes out the guesswork of when the meat is done!
• Cook at 450° for 30 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350°. Cook for about 1 – 1.5 hrs or until the it reaches your desired temperature. Here is a quick temp guide: 125°F for rare, 130°F-135F° for medium-rare, 135°F-140°F for medium, and 155°F-165°F for well-done.
• While it is cooking check that the liquid in the pan hasn’t cooked away. Add more chicken broth (1/2 cup at a time) if needed.
• Once the roast has reached your desired temp, remove it from the oven. Take the rack out of the pan and lightly tent the roast with foil. Let it rest for 15 minutes.
• Take the roasting pan with the wine and broth mixture and heat it up on the stove over medium heat. Add in the rest of the wine and the juice of the lemon, and bring to a subtle boil and then reduce. Let the alcohol cook off while the meat is resting.
• After the wine sauce has reduced for about 10 minutes, pour it into glass jar or large glass measuring cup. Use a spoon to skim off any fat from the surface. Then transfer the sauce into a serving dish.
• Carve the leg of lamb and serve with your favorite holiday/celebration side dishes!

Keyword Easter dinner, Easter lunch, Easter recipe, garlic, herbs, holidayrecipes, lamb, leg of lamb, red wine, roast lamb