Herb & Garlic Roasted Leg of Lamb

One of my favourite ways of cooking a Boneless Leg of Lamb is this absolutely delicious and easy recipe that I discovered in the South Beach Diet: Parties & Holidays Cookbook. The savoury Dijon and rosemary marinade is just as wonderful on pork loin as well. The key is infusing the meat with a fragrant mixture of chopped rosemary, thyme, parsley and garlic, which is inserted into deep slits that are cut into the meat before searing the lamb on all sides to seal in the juices. The leg is then coated with a generous 1/4 cup of Dijon mustard and roasted for about an hour. The aroma is intoxicating, but not as wonderful as this Herb & Garlic Roasted Leg of Lamb tastes as it's carved before guests. Just don't tell them it's from a diet cookbook — they'll never believe it!

Herb & Garlic Roasted Leg of Lamb

Serves 6-8

Recipe courtesy of South Beach Diet: Parties & Holidays Cookbook

1 3lb boneless leg of lamb, tied

salt and fresh ground black pepper

1 tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 cup Dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350°F. Sprinkle the lamb lightly on all sides with salt and pepper. Combine the chopped herbs and garlic in a small bowl. Using a sharp knife, cut 1/2-inch slits into the thickest part of the leg and fill the cuts with the herb and garlic mixture, pressing the mixture deep into the meat with your finger.

Lightly coat a large skillet with vegetable oil and heat over a medium-high heat. Brown the lamb on all four sides, about 5 minutes per side. Remove the lamb from the skillet and transfer to a roasting pan. Coat with mustard on all sides and then roast until the lamb reaches 135° for medium rare on a meat thermometer, about 60-70 minutes. 

Remove from the oven and loosely cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing. Snip the string before carving the lamb across the grain, in generous slices. Serve the sliced lamb warm with the delicious juices, and perhaps some steamed rapini and new potatoes.