Whether you’re a longtime lamb lover or a newbie, this classic roast lamb shank recipe will delight you. Marinate the lamb in a citrus rosemary marinade, sear the outside and slow cook until tender.
The most important thing to remember when cooking a roast lamb is not to overcook it. Lamb has such a wonderful flavor of its own and is so naturally tender that it’ll be good as long as it’s still a little pink on the inside.
How to cook a leg of lamb
There is some debate as to which method gives the best results – slow cooking over low heat all the time, or searing first over high heat and then slow cooking. James Beard prefers the slow-cooking-low-heat method at his American Cookery (He rubs the roast with salt and pepper and cooks at 325°F the entire time).
We generally get great results using the sear method, starting with high heat and then lowering the temperature, which is the method outlined in the recipe below.
If you use the sear method, you’ll end up with ends that are better done, and the closer you get to the inside, the rarer. This way you have a variety to serve to your guests.
Another point on which there are very different opinions is the internal temperature, which constitutes “medium rare”. I’ve seen references ranging from 120° to 145°F.
For this roast, I pull it out at 125°F. As it rests, the internal temperature will continue to rise a few notches as the meat continues to cook.
Use a meat thermometer
We like our roast lamb shank on the rare side of medium rare, and this roast was perfect to our liking. Of course, an accurate meat thermometer is essential, and inserting the meat thermometer into the deep interior of the roast at various points helps to get a good reading.
A good way to keep track of the doneness of the roast is to use a remote thermometer. This way you can tell when the roast is done without having to open the oven door and avoid the resulting heat loss.
Allow the roast lamb to rest at room temperature before cooking
The following instructions in this lamb shank recipe assume you will let the roast rest at room temperature for an hour or two before roasting. Cooking a roast straight from the fridge will take longer.
Lamb with or without bone? What you should know
Both cuts of lamb are suitable for this recipe. However, if you decide to go for boneless lamb, ask your butcher to tie your roast with butcher’s twine for an even shape. Bone-in lamb takes a little longer to cook (about 20 extra minutes for a 6-pound roast) because the bone acts as an insulator.
From the editors of Simply Recipes
Grilled leg of lamb
The marinade we used for this roast was made by my friend Suzanne and works quite well. A simpler marinade made from rosemary, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, pepper, and lemon juice would also work quite well. You can also cut small slices into the surface of the roast and add chopped herbs and garlic strips.
If you are preparing the roast directly in a skillet, start the roast at 450°F. After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 325°F.
ingredients
For the marinade
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1/2 Cup orange juice
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1 Cup White wine
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3 cloves Garlic, chopped
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2 teaspoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
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2 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary (or 1 tbsp dried rosemary)
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1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
For the roast lamb
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1 (6–Lb) Lamb shankboned or boneless (a boneless leg should be tied with kitchen twine by the butcher)
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Salt and freshly ground black pepper
method
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Make the marinade:
In a blender, puree ingredients for the marinade, just a few pulses, until well combined.
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Marinate lamb:
Place the lamb and marinade in a plastic bag. Squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible and seal. Wrap it again with another plastic bag to make sure the marinated lamb doesn’t leak.
Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours or overnight.
While still in the marinade bag, remove the lamb from the refrigerator for at least an hour (preferably two) before placing in the oven. This will help bring the lamb closer to room temperature before roasting.
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Preheat the oven:
Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange two racks in the oven – a middle rack to hold the lamb and a bottom rack to hold a roasting pan to catch the drippings.
Note that this arrangement of grates and pans, with the roast sitting directly on the oven grate, creates natural convection of heat within the oven, causing the roast to cook more quickly than if it were cooked in a grate in a roasting pan using the traditional method.
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Season the lamb and place in the oven:
Remove the roast lamb from its marinade bag (you can temporarily move the lamb to another frying pan just to make it less messy). Pat the marinade off the lamb with kitchen paper.
Generously salt and pepper the roast on all sides. Place the roast fattest side up so the fat melts with the meat while the lamb cooks.
Place the roast directly on the middle shelf of the oven. Place a frying pan on a separate rack one step lower to catch the drippings. You can also add some water to the bottom skillet so the drippings fall into the water instead of burning in the hot pan and smoky up your kitchen.
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Roasted lamb:
Roast at 425°F for 20 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 300F and roast an additional 40 minutes (for a 6 lb boneless roast) to 60 minutes (for a 6 lb boneless roast). When you cook a bone-in roast, the bone acts as an insulator and requires a longer cooking time than a boneless roast.
In general, estimate 10 to 13 minutes per pound for total cook time (for Rare), including the first 20 minutes on high heat. (Provided you let the roast rest for an hour or two before popping it in the oven. If it comes straight out of the fridge, it will take longer to cook.)
If you are preparing the roast directly in a skillet, start the roast at 450°F. After 20 minutes, reduce the heat to 325°F.
The shape of the roast also affects the cooking time. Our roast was quite long and thin so it cooked pretty quickly. A thicker roast may take longer than expected.
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cook until medium rare:
About 20 minutes before you want the roast to be done, start checking the roast with a meat thermometer. Note that every time you open the oven door it will take you about 10 minutes to bring the oven back up to temperature, slowing down the cooking process. So don’t check too often or use a remote controlled meat thermometer.
For Medium Rare, remove the roast from the oven between 125°F and 135°F. Lamb should never be cooked through, otherwise it will become too dry.
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Let the roast rest:
Let stand 25-30 minutes before slicing (so the juice doesn’t spill out when slicing). Cut the kitchen twine and use a sharp carving knife to cut 1/2 inch thick slices against the grain of the meat.
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Collect the drops for gravy or sauce:
While the roast is resting, use a metal spatula to scrape up the drippings in the skillet. Use the drippings to make a gravy, or use just the drippings themselves to serve with the lamb.
Serve with some mint chimichurri or homemade mint jelly.
Simple tip!
Store leftover lamb in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and in the freezer for up to 2 months. But why not use leftover roast to breathe new life into your lamb in a lamb curry, spring lamb stew or lamb korma?
| nutritional information (per serving) | |
|---|---|
| 731 | calories |
| 45g | Fat |
| 3g | carbohydrates |
| 70g | protein |
