A tender and juicy Slow Roasted Greek Leg of Lamb is the perfect easy Sunday dinner roast. Slowly braised for 3-4 hours in a Dutch oven filled with a lemony Mediterranean herb broth. Imagine a lamb roast so tender that it falls apart when picked up and so juicy you will need some pita bread to mop up all the sauce left on your plate. Only one dish is needed for this roast which makes for easier cleanup after dinner.
Here’s what you will need to make this wonderful Slow Roasted Greek Leg of Lamb.
▪ 2.5-3 lb Boneless Lamb Leg Roast
▪ Greek Extra Virgin Olive Oil
▪ 2 Yellow Onions
▪ 2 Lemons
▪ Dijon Mustard
▪ 2 cups of Beef Stock
▪ 2 sprigs of Fresh Rosemary
▪ Dried Oregano
▪ Dried Thyme
▪ Paprika Powder
▪ Onion Powder
▪ 2 Bay Leaves
▪ 8 Cloves of Garlic
▪ 1 cup of good quality dry Red Wine
▪ Salt + Pepper
Start by cutting four cloves of garlic into slivers. Each clove of garlic should get you about 3-4 slivers. Next, make small incisions with the tip of a knife in the lamb leg that is large enough for a sliver of garlic to fit. Do as many cuts as you have slivers of garlic. This will infuse that rich roasted garlic flavor deep into the meat as it’s braised.
Grab a small bowl or added directly to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag, and add 2 tbsp Olive oil, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp paprika, 1-1/2 tsp onion powder, 1-1/2 tsp dried thyme, 2 tsp oregano, and 1 tsp each of salt + pepper. Mix to create your marinade for the lamb.
Slather that herb mix all over the lamb massaging it into the meat and place in a large bowl covered in plastic food wrap or gallon-sized Ziploc bag. Marinate in the fridge for at least 3 hours, but it’s even better if you let it marinate overnight.
Honestly, it’s easiest if you use a Ziploc bag. Pour the mix over the lamb, and massage it into the meat through the bag. This way, you won’t have messy hands, which is always a plus, right?
You want to fully infuse those Mediterranean herbs into the meat for maximum flavor. In addition, the Dijon mustard helps to tenderize the meat and helps form a slight crust on the surface of the lamb that locks the flavors in place as it’s cooked.
Go ahead and preheat your oven to 350F. Make sure the rack is in the middle position of your oven.
In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer (if it begins to smoke, it’s too hot), add in the lamb and let sit for 3-4 minutes untouched. Turn and repeat on all sides to brown the surface forming a flavorful crispy crust.
I like to take the juices that pool on the bottom of the pan and inject them into the meat further to infuse those lovely Mediterranean flavors into the lamb meat. You don’t have to do this step, but if you want that heavenly straight-from-Greece lamb flavor, do it!
Once the meat has browned on all sides, squeeze the juice from the lemons halves and toss in the lemon rind to give it some zest as the lamb is slowly braised. Next, place your quartered onions under the lamb to raise it off the pan’s bottom. This helps prevent the meat from sticking to the bottom of the pan as it cooks.
Add bay leaves, sprigs of fresh rosemary, the remaining four cloves of garlic, beef stock, and dry red wine. Bring to a boil and then cover with the lid or tightly wrap in aluminum foil to seal in the steam as it cooks and put in the oven for 3.5-4 hours.
Don’t let it cook too long, as the liquid will eventually dry up, leaving you with a dried-out roast. Nobody wants that, so check on it after around 3 hours, and if it easily shreds like a tender salmon fillet, it’s done. If it’s not there yet, let it cook for another 30 minutes and check again.
Now that it’s done, carefully remove it and plate it. It will shred as you lift it, which is good! All that liquid on the bottom of the pan will have thickened and will be a gravy-like glaze to pour over the roast.
Discard the rest of the contents in the pan other than the liquid that is left over. Straining the liquid in a bowl works best, but you can spoon it over the meat if you don’t want to add extra dishes to clean up later.
Pair this masterpiece of a roast with some Greek Feta Roasted Potatoes and Lemon Thyme Asparagus. Don’t forget to add some Tzatziki (Greek Style Yogurt Sauce) and a couple of pieces of pita bread to tear for making bite-sized sandwiches as you devour this heavenly Slow Roasted Greek Leg of Lamb roast.
Storage your leftovers in a food-safe air-tight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or oven at 300F until warm throughout.
Equipment
- Dutch Oven or Deep Roasting Pan
Ingredients
- 2.5-3 lb Boneless Lamb Leg Roast
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 4 tbsp Greek Extra Virgin olive oil divided
- 2 tsp paprika powder
- 1½ tsp onion powder
- 1½ tsp dried thyme
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
- 2 yellow onions quartered
- 2 medium-sized lemons halved
- 2 sprigs Fresh Rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 cup good quality dry red wine
- 2 cups beef stock
Instructions
- Cut four cloves of garlic into slivers. Next, make small incisions with the tip of a knife in the lamb leg that is large enough for a sliver of garlic to fit. Do as many cuts as you have slivers of garlic.
- Grab a small bowl (or add directly to a gallon-sized Ziploc bag for easy cleanup), and add 2 tbsp Olive oil, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 2 tsp paprika, 1-1/2 tsp onion powder, 1-1/2 tsp dried thyme, 2 tsp oregano, and 1 tsp each of salt + pepper. Mix to create your marinade to rub all over the lamb massaging it into the meat. Marinate fully coated lamb meat in the fridge for at least 3 hours, but overnight for maximum flavor.
- Preheat your oven to 350F, making sure the rack is in the middle position of your oven.
- In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer (if it begins to smoke, it's too hot), add in the lamb and let sit for 3-4 minutes untouched. Turn and repeat on all sides to brown the surface forming a flavorful crispy crust.
- Add bay leaves, sprigs of fresh rosemary, the remaining four cloves of garlic, beef stock, and dry red wine. Bring to a boil and then cover with the lid or tightly wrap in aluminum foil.
- Braise in the oven for 3.5-4 hours. Check after 3 hours to see if easily shred; if not, cook another 30 minutes and check again.
- Once it's done, carefully remove it and plate it. Strain the remaining thickened sauce in the pan and pour over the lamb roast.
Notes
Nutrition
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