Half Leg Of Lamb Recipe

This half leg of Lamb recipe is a keeper. It's super easy, you have to do almost nothing, and at the end you get the most deliciously tender lamb that falls of the bone.

This Half Leg Of Lamb Recipe is a Treat

Roast lamb feels special.

It feels like a treat and because we don't have it all that often, and there's a lot of "Mmmm's..." that happen as soon as the kids start to smell the lamb roasting. We like to eat this with my smashed potatoes, and a veggie.

Let's be honest, who doesn't love a roast? It's a great comfort food. It's a protein extravaganza. A tender, fall off the bone piece of meat goes a long way and there's not many roasts better than this slow cooked leg of lamb.

And if there's left overs (not really...ever?!) they're eaten the next day by whoever manages to get to them first. It's that good.

Slow Cooked Lamb Roast

Slow cooking a half leg of lamb is pretty much guaranteed to give you tender lamb. It never doesn't work, so I always slow cook lamb if it's a leg I'm cooking.

This half leg of lamb takes no time at all to prepare. In fact it takes far longer to peel the potatoes for roasting (or smashing) to go with it. Okay, maybe I'm exaggerating - it does need 4ish hours in the oven so overall it does take a little while to get on the table. So while it's not as if you have to do anything to it while it's cooking, it's not a long-day-at-work-pop-it-in-the oven sort of dinner.

How Do You Cook Lamb So it's Tender?

You can marinate lamb to help make it tender, but I don't do that for this recipe as we love the taste of lamb and lamb alone! A lamb cut like a chop wouldn't work being slow cooked, but for legs, slow cooking is the way to go.

The lower heat means the proteins in the meat are less likely to overcook, leaving you with melt-in-the-mouth roast lamb. I wrap the half leg in double layer of foil for this, the juices pool in the foil and keep the lamb moist. You want the moisture to stay in the foil, so no peeking during cooking time. Tempting as it is!

Does Lamb Get More Tender The Longer You Cook It?

Yes and no. A leg of lamb is pretty forgiving and if you leave in the oven for half an hour longer than it needs to be you're still going to have tender lamb. That said, there is a point at which hours of cooking goes the other way and your lamb will dry out.

It's the juices in the foil that keep the lamb moist, and once they dry out your leg of lamb will start to dry out. But...it's hard to go wrong with this recipe, so it's perfect for all non-chefs among us who just love good clean real food that the family will eat. This is one of those recipes 🙂

Half Leg Of Lamb Cooking Time

For a half leg of lamb, I put it in the oven for around 4 hours. It's going to depend on the weight of your lamb of course, but for a half leg, I wouldn't go less than 4 hours and would be cautious about going for longer than 5.

You really want your lamb to be fall-off-the-bone-moist, so the lamb mustn't dry out. But as I said, it's very forgiving and won't hold it against you if you're not great at clock watching. And the heats low so it won't dry out easily.

What To Eat With Your Roast Lamb

• Crispy Roast Potatoes (via our friends at Clean Eating with Kids)
• Smashed Potatoes
• Spiralized Sweet Potato Fries
• Air Fryer Zucchini Chips

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How To Cook A Half Leg Of Lamb

Ingredients

• ½ Leg of fresh Organic Lamb
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic (whole)
• 4-5 sprigs of fresh rosemary
• Seasoning Mix (classic garlic and rosemary lamb rub)
  • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional, but adds great color in the final stage)
  • ½ teaspoon onion powder
  • 2 cloves garlic (minced)

Instructions

• Preheat your oven to 275°F(you can go up to 300-325°F if short on time, but 275°F gives the most tender result) .
• Mix all of the seasoning mix ingredients together in a small bowl
• Pat the lamb dry with paper towels.
• Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then season with your seasoning mix. Rub into the skin with your hands.
• Using a small knife, make a few slits in the lamb and push 1 whole garlic clove into each slit.
• Place two large sheets of aluminum foil into a roasting tray (double layer helps prevent leaks).
• Set the lamb in the center of the foil. Add the rosemary sprigs.
• Wrap the lamb tightly to create a fully sealed packet. You want to trap all moisture inside - this is what makes the lamb fall-apart tender.
• Cook for 4 hours.

High Heat Finish

• After 4 hours, carefully remove the lamb from the oven Increase oven temperature to 450°F.
• Open the foil and fold it down to expose the top of the lamb (leave the sides up slightly to catch juices).
• Return to the oven and roast uncovered for 12-15 minutes, until the outside develops a browned, slightly crispy finish.

Rest and Serve

• Remove from oven and let rest for 15-20 minutes.
• Spoon some of the juices over the top before serving.

Leg of Lamb Printable Recipe