Best roast leg of lamb recipe | Jamie Oliver lamb recipes (2024)

FAQs

How does Gordon Ramsay cook roast lamb? ›

And when you have a gorgeous cut, like a rack of lamb, you can cook it the good ol' Gordon Ramsay way—which is to say, lightly pan-sear it first, then baste it with an herby, garlicky butter, and finally finish it off in the oven until it's still pink and juicy in the middle. It comes out perfectly every time.

Roast leaner cuts of lamb in a hotter oven (450°F) to get a lovely brown crust and a well-cooked center; cook fattier cuts of lamb low and slow (325°F) to render all the fat and allow the lamb to cook in its juices. Due to residual heat, your lamb will continue to cook even after you pull it out of the oven.

The lamb in the slow-cooker was juicier than that from the oven, but lacked the oven lamb's exterior crispy bits (we love crispy bits). The solution was to take the vegetables and lamb from the slow cooker and run them under the broiler to crisp things up a bit. We'd eat either version again in a heartbeat.

The Safe Internal Temperature for Cooked Lamb

An internal temperature of 145°F means that the meat will be at a medium-well doneness, and this is the official safe temperature recommended by the USDA. Ground lamb is the one cut of lamb that is an exception — it should be cooked to 160°F.

For the perfect roast lamb, we recommend seasoning the surface of the meat, and then searing it, especially fat side down in a pan before roasting. Why bother with searing? Contrary to some stories, searing is less about locking in moisture, and all about improving the flavour!

Fattier cuts of lamb should be roasted long and slow at a low temperature, while leaner cuts of meat should be cooked at a high temperature for the first several minutes and then at a lower temperature the rest of the time. Braising is a popular technique for cooking less-tender cuts of lamb.

Season your lamb shoulder with rosemary and garlic, or even just a little salt and pepper. Sear the lamb shoulder in a hot pan to seal in the flavours if you wish, this is not compulsory however, slow cooking it as is works just as well.

When meat is sliced with the grain, it often results in tougher, chewier pieces. Follow this tip: The grain of the meat refers to the direction in which the muscle fibers run. Always slice lamb against the grain, cutting across the muscle fibers rather than with them.

The meat turns out to be very tender if cooked low and slow in the oven. These cuts get even more tender if braised in some sort of liquid. The center cuts of lamb — loin, ribs, and breast — are naturally tender, so they do better with quick-cooking methods.

Lamb is often best enjoyed when cooked to a slightly pink or medium-rare internal temperature. This helps preserve its tenderness and flavor. However, personal preferences for doneness can vary, and lamb cooked to medium or well still tastes great!

What is the cooking time for a leg of lamb? ›

Season the meat all over with salt and pepper, then rub the lamb all over with the olive oil. Transfer to a roasting tin, sat on the onion slices. Roast for 20 mins. Lower the oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and cook for another 15-20 mins per 500g (1 hr – 1 hr 20 mins for 2kg leg) depending on how pink you like your lamb.

As the end of the cooking time draws near, press the outside centre of your lamb lightly with tongs or a clean fingertip to judge its degree of doneness. As a rough guide: Very soft = rare – bright red, raw centre. Soft = medium rare – pink inside with a red centre.

Directions. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Season the beef with salt and pepper; sear in a hot roasting pan with the olive oil to brown on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes each side. Transfer to oven; roast, allowing 15 minutes a pound (450g) for rare or 20 minutes a pound (450g) for medium.

Add beef broth/stock and water into the pan (keeps everything all nice and moist + makes pan juices for gravy), cover then slow roast for 5 hours until tender and fall apart. For an incredible hands-off version of this slow roast leg of lamb, try the Slow Cooker Roast Lamb!

Lower temp = more succulent meat – Tough cuts like lamb shoulder need slow-cooking to tenderise them.