“I’m not a lamb person unless it’s this leg of lamb,” writes author and food stylist Rebekah Peppler in her masterful ode to French cooking, À Table. In this version of a Provençal classic, a whole leg of lamb is braised low and slow with a few aromatics and some dry wine until the meat is so tender you could eat it with a spoon—in fact, this dish is commonly known as gigot à la cuillère (or “spoon lamb”) in France.
A popular mainstay on the table of Peppler’s Parisian home, this succulent lamb is paired with a vibrant green, garlicky persillade, providing a sharp counterpoint to the rich meat. Serve with cheesy new potatoes and a citrusy radish salad for a well-rounded meal. Any leftover lamb can be deliciously repurposed in sandwiches with bitter greens and plenty of mayo.
All products featured on Bon Appétit are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through the retail links below, we earn an affiliate commission.
What you’ll need
Dutch Oven
$133 $80 At Amazon
.jpg)
Food Processor
$63 At Amazon
Tongs
$21 At Amazon
Mesh Sieve
$13 At Amazon
.jpg)
Ingredients
6 Servings
Lamb
1
¼
1
5
8
2
2
Persillade and assembly
1
6
½
Preparation
Lamb
Step 1
Place a rack in middle of oven and preheat to 275°. Season lamb liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy ovenproof pot over medium-high. Cook lamb, turning occasionally with tongs, until golden brown, 8–10 minutes; transfer to a plate.
Step 2
Add onion, garlic, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves to pot. Pour in rosé and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon.
Step 3
Return lamb to pot, cover with a lid, and transfer to oven. Roast until meat is very tender and nearly falling off the bone, 5–7 hours.
Persillade and assembly
Step 4
At least 2 hours after the lamb has been cooking, pulse parsley and garlic in a food processor until finely chopped. Pulse in oil just to combine. Season persillade with salt and pepper; transfer to a small bowl.
Step 5
Carefully remove lamb from cooking liquid and transfer to a platter. (Strain cooking liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl and skim fat; save liquid to use in soups, in braises, or for making beans.) Serve lamb with persillade alongside.
Do ahead: Persillade can be made 5 hours ahead. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
Buy it on Amazon or Bookshop.org
Leave a Review
Reviews (16)
Back to TopI hadn't read the reviews prior to making this dish, I thought the ingredients spoke for themselves and went for it! Made it for Easter dinner, used the whole bottle of Rose (there was so little left after measuring 2 cups, why not?). I also doubled the persillade recipe, it went so well with the lamb! This was a hit and more than enough for 6 people. That big of a leg just fit in my Le Creuset and I admit I needed help lifting it out of the oven :). There wasn't much liquid (1-1/4 c or so), but did save it. Can wait to cook some cannellini beans and add some shredded lamb. Will probably saute fresh carrot, celery and onion to repurpose and cook the beans. Thank BA for a wonderful Easter meal!
Antoinette
Petaluma, CA
4/10/2023
This recipe is really great -- classical slow-braise of a piece of meat that you really don't want to dry out. A couple of notes that we have made this top notch for our team: -- You can put this in a slow cooker after the sear if you wanted to. Our team "slow cooks" this in the oven in a cocotte (or similar thick, heavy, cast iron like dish). Simply put this dish in the oven after the searing steps with the lid on. Turn the oven to 190F or however low your oven will go (on normal roast/braise/bake). This will allow you to cook the lamb for hours (we cook ours for up to 12 hours) and to avoid rapidly drying the lamb out or burning the bottom -- Our team uses an entire bottle of dry rose. Make sure to cook off the alcohol after deglazing for a few minutes to avoid a really boozy lamb. -- We haven't actually ever made the persillade just because we normally make our own dijon mustard "sauce" to go with it, so can't comment on that. We've cooked this successfully in San Francisco, Aspen and Boston, so climate shouldn't bite you.
Jane Doeseph
Boston, Ma.
12/21/2022
This turned out marvelously for me. So easy. Love to see a recipe using rosé! I look forward to making this again next year for Easter.
Anna
Portland, OR
10/26/2022
Lamb can be Kosher. And with the sciatic nerve removed, the leg can be kosher. So I am confused by some commenting. (I am looking out the window, watching my ewes lying under black walnut trees, chewing their cud.) 275° F surely is the cooking temperature, not 275°C.
FenCroft
Michigan, U.S.A.
5/21/2022
I was very disappointed with this recipe. A cooking time of 5-7 hours? How is one to determine the correct point to stop cooking? To know when and if it would get softer? That was alot of money to spend and not get any compliments! Similar to another commenter, I have been a 40ish year subscriber, and am having difficulty finding anything I like in recent issues. I do not want to cancel my subscription, but I do want the magazine to find its way to a place where ,I am sure many subscribers would prefer, readers can find a variety of recipes in a cooking magazine with only some thought provoking articles. And also remember that many people have depended on Bon Appetit for holiday cooking ideas. Why does it seem that the magazine is now making a point of ignoring holidays?
Anonymous
4/25/2022
7 hours on 275 celsium?
Jane does
4/24/2022
this was a disaster. we had a 5 lb leg of lamb, that cost $54.00 or more...from a very reputable butcher..only cooked for 5 hours. the meat was stringy, tough and pretty much inedible. Very disappointed. Followed the recipe to a tee. I am 64 years old, have subscribed to BA magazine for 40 years...the recipes have not been satisfactory for me at all lately. The editorial slant is very sorry... The magazine is not my cup of tea to say the least...I do not appreciate the politically correct pandering..where is Adam Rapaport ? I know the story....The past five recipes I have made form your current periodical were absolute disasters. Cancelling my subscription.
Susan Wolf
Buffalo, NY
4/19/2022
A wonderful make-ahead recipe for leg of lamb. Active time is minimal, and flavor was delicious. Serving was easy as craving the leg was simple since the meat was falling apart. I was a bit nervous about the amount of raw garlic in the Persillade but most of my guests seemed to enjoy it with the lamb. Happy to have this recipe in my go-to list.
Kathy Lentz
Baltimore MD
4/18/2022
I used bone-in lamb--and it was marvelous, just as Rebekah says. It might work with a boneless cut but my guess is the cooking time would vary and, for sure, the bone gave flavor and substance to the lamb. Maybe Rebekah has a better answer.
Mary Tabor
Los Angeles, CA
4/17/2022
Would this work with a boneless leg?
Morgan Osment
Oakland, CA
4/14/2022
Leg of lamb is not a kosher cut of meat under any circumstances, nor can a meat dish be served with cheesy anything--during Passover or any other time of the year. I'm sure the recipe is wonderful; it just isn't kosher.
enoonmai
Baltimore-Washington area
4/7/2022