butterflied leg of lamb

various dates

A frequent flyer for me. Marielos doesn’t like lamb very much, so I get these pretty much all to myself. Leftovers often become sandwich meat, and sometimes I cook this just for that purpose.

This is always dry-cooking, roasting on the oven grill plate.

These are vacuum-packaged butterflied half-legs with seasoning already applied. I couldn't get lamb locally for the longest time, until about 5 years ago, Walmart started carrying a few lamb cuts, including this. However, their prices for lamb's meat have almost doubled over those 5 year. This is getting so expensive that I don't buy it nearly as often as I used to.

A. leg of lamb with jalapeño jam

2015-03-20

Leg of lamb is another Flemish oldie favorite menu item. This is also how Goldilocks would like hers: not too raw, not too far gone, but juuuust right; which for me means still pinkish red throughout inside but nevertheless fully cooked.

These butterflied legs are bumpy. The muscles all are different size and thickness, with the risk that the thinner ones will be overcooked already when the thicker ones are still raw inside. Low-temperature cooking helps to counter that by cooking slower but more evenly.

I think garlic is a must for lamb. Rosemary, thyme or oregano are also good additional choices. Peas and carrots combine very well with a lamb's roast.

Some people like to add mint jelly. I painted a layer of jalapeño preserves on the top instead for a little bit of a bite. You can also use another jam mixed with chopped jalapeño, or plain green chile for a similar effect.

All the roasts on this page were cooked separately without any vegetables. I think turning this in a stew or pot roast would be a waste of a good leg of lamb.

2015-03-20

Pic1+2: leg of lamb with jalapeño jam

INGREDIENTS

This is what you need for 4-6 servings:

1 leg of lamb, butterflied, 3 lbs.
garlic, 2 fresh cloves, pressed
your favorite spice mix
1 tbsp. olive oil
S&P

Directions

Find a nice leg of lamb. Butterfly the leg by carving out the bone through the big artery / vein area on the inside and folding the meat open to flatten the piece. Marinate overnight with spiced brine, or just rub both sides with your favorite spices.
Or buy it already butterflied and seasoned, like I usually do.

Preheat the oven to 250 ºF.
Sear the leg on all sides in hot oil.
Place the meat in an oiled shallow oven pan or oven grill with the fat layer up.
Bake uncovered 40 minutes per inch thickness or until internal temp of 145 ºF is reached.
Because of the fairly low temperature, the meat will cook throughout without much turning of color.
Switch the oven to broiler and broil a few minutes to darken and crisp the outer layer.
Rest 5-10 minutes before carving.
Serve with peas and carrots. Enjoy.

B. more meals & sandwiches

2019-06-26

Summer is here with a vengeance, and I don't feel much like making it even warmer in the house by cooking a warm meal.

This is a butterflied leg of lamb's roast that I cooked yesterday evening. Today, it was sliced and served cold.

I added some potato salad, shredded lettuce, carrots and tomato and mixed that all together after I took the pictures. The 'refried' beans (really just reheated with cheese added) are the only warm item on this plate, but even that was negotiable.

Pic3: lamb served cold