Braised Leg of Lamb with Potatoes and Vegetables

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It’s almost Easter and that makes me think of lamb.  Have you ever eaten lamb?   Growing up it wasn’t something I ever had and I assumed I wouldn’t like it.   In my early 20’s I went to a fancy restaurant and they have lamb chops in a balsamic glaze that sounded amazing.   On a whim I ordered them.   Turns out I love lamb!   They were super tender and tasted delicious with the balsamic.  It was the beginning of my love affair with lamb.

A few years down the road I found a place in town that had amazing lamb chops and ordered them every time I went there.  Then we discovered a little Mediterranean place that has the world’s best gyros.   The lamb is seasoned beautifully and goes perfectly with the pita and Tzatziki sauce.

So after eating lamb for years I decided to try cooking it for myself.   I started easy with ground lamb.   Oh, who am I kidding?   I started out with ground lamb because it was the ONLY lamb my local markets sold.  I made lamb pita pockets and lamb burgers.  Both are pretty awesome and we still eat them whenever I can get ground lamb on sale.

Then one day I was in the market and I saw a semi-boneless leg of lamb.   It was in the spring and it was half off.  I bought a 5 pound leg of lamb for $15.  It was a steal.   I put it in the freezer and forgot about it for months.   When cleaning out the freezer I found the lamb and decided it was high time I made it.   The only problem was that I’d never even eaten leg of lamb let alone prepared it.

I searched my favorite foodie sites and found what looked to be an easy braised leg of lamb with potatoes and vegetables.  It was basically a one dish meal which I was all about.    I broiled the lamb to get the pepper and salt mixture on it crisp and delicious.  Then I spread the potatoes and vegetables in the pan along with a sauce of white wine, chicken broth, and herbs.

The end result was amazing.   The lamb was so tender it was falling apart.  The potatoes and vegetables were coated in the sauce along with the lamb juices.   I slightly overcooked the lamb but it was still delicious.  Plus we had plenty left over for the next day.   Actually we had leftovers the next day and on the third day I used the remaining lamb in a lamb and orzo soup.

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Roasted Leg of Lamb with Potatoes and Vegetables

Yield: Serves 8

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours 20 minutes

Semi-boneless Leg of Lamb braised in white wine and chicken broth with tender red skinned potatoes and vegetables.

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Ingredients

• 5-6 lb. Semi-boneless Leg of Lamb
• sea salt and black pepper
• 3 lb. red skinned potatoes, cut into quarters
• 15 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 4 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 6 sprigs of rosemary
• 2 onions, each cut into 8 wedges
• 2 c. chicken broth
• 1 c. dry white wine

Instructions

1. Generously rub the leg of lamb with salt and pepper. Place it in a roasting dish and broil 6 inches from heat for 10 minutes per side.
2. Remove from oven and turn the oven to 350 degrees. Place the potatoes, garlic, carrots, celery, rosemary, and onions around the leg of lamb.
3. Pour the chicken broth and white wine over top of the lamb and vegetables.
4. Cover the dish with foil and bake for one hour. Flip the lamb over and recover the dish, cooking for an additional hour.
5. Check the temperature of the lamb. You want it to be around 145 or 150. If it's not at that temperature place it back in the oven for 30 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and slice the lamb. Serve with potatoes, vegetables, and the pan juices.

Notes

Adapted from Saveur