Active Time
1 1/2 hours
Total Time
4 1/2 hours (includes marinating 1 hour)
Lamb is a classic at Easter, particularly leg of lamb. Increasingly, though, lamb legs are sold boned, or even better, boned and butterflied, which makes them ideal for summer grilling. But for Easter, a boneless lamb leg (readily available at the big-box stores) becomes something irresistible to stuff, and because there's no bone, it's a dream to carve.
Here, we season the meat all over with a garlicky, lemon- and oregano-scented paste, then spread a flavorful, wilted-arugula filling over the lamb and roll it up. Don't be dismayed by the ragtag appearance of the uncooked roast. Just tie it securely and you will be amazed at how delicious it looks when it comes out of the oven. The vegetables surrounding the lamb not only absorb some of the lamb juices but also create a complete and nutritious meal in a roasting pan.
Editor's Note: This recipe is part of Gourmet's Modern Menu for Easter. Menu also includes Frisée, Radicchio, and Fennel Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette; and Lemon Pudding with Strawberries and Meringue Cigars.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
Arugula filling:
Lamb:
Vegetables:
Sauce:
Special Equipment
Preparation
For arugula filling:
Step 1
In a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium-high heat, cook garlic in olive oil, stirring, until it begins to turn pale golden, then add arugula in batches, stirring and turning over with tongs until slightly wilted before adding each new batch, and continue sautéing until completely wilted, about 1 minute more. Season with salt, and transfer arugula filling to a large sieve set over a bowl to drain. Let cool.
For lamb:
Step 2
With a food processor running, add garlic cloves, one at a time, through feed tube, and finely chop. Add oregano, lemon zest, olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to processor, and pulse until paste is well blended.
Step 3
Pat the lamb dry. Arrange it, boned side up, on a work surface. Patch any holes with slices of meat from the edge, and season it with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Rub boned side with half of oregano paste, then top it evenly with all of the arugula mixture, leaving a 1-inch border around the edges.
Step 4
Beginning with a short side, roll up lamb, enclosing arugula (the rolled roast will appear messy and ungainly, but once it's roasted, it will look delicious). Snugly tie roast closed, crosswise at 1-inch intervals and around the length, with kitchen string.
Step 5
Transfer lamb to a roasting pan and rub it all over with the remaining oregano paste. Let it stand for 1 hour at room temperature.
Step 6
Put oven rack in middle of oven and heat oven to 450°F.
Step 7
Roast lamb for 30 minutes.
Prepare vegetables while lamb is roasting:
Step 8
Cut each onion lengthwise into eighths, and halve potatoes or quarter if large. Toss onions, potatoes, and carrots with 2 tablespoons oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Scatter vegetables (not including asparagus) around lamb in the pan, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F, and roast lamb until an instant-read thermometer inserted into center of thickest part of roast registers 130°F for medium-rare meat (test temperature in several places), 40 to 50 minutes more. Transfer lamb to a platter and tent loosely with foil, then let it stand for 30 minutes.
Step 9
While lamb is standing, increase oven to 450°F, then stir vegetables in pan, and continue to roast until tender, 10 to 15 minutes.
Step 10
Toss asparagus with remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil and 1/8 teaspoon salt, and scatter among roasted vegetables, then continue to roast until asparagus is just tender, about 10 minutes.
Step 11
Transfer vegetables with a slotted spoon to a serving dish, and keep warm, loosely covered. Reserve roasting pan.
For sauce:
Step 12
Skim any fat from the pan drippings in roasting pan, and set roasting pan over 2 burners over medium-high heat. Add wine and deglaze the pan by boiling the liquid, scraping up the brown bits, for 1 minute. Strain the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve into a saucepan, then boil until reduced by half (to about 1/3 cup). Add chicken stock and any juices that have accumulated on the platter, and boil the sauce until reduced to about 2 cups. Reduce heat to a simmer.
Step 13
Stir the cornstarch mixture, then add it to simmering sauce; continue to simmer sauce, stirring, for 1 minute. Season sauce with salt and pepper and keep it warm.
Step 14
Discard the strings from the lamb, then carve lamb into thin slices on a cutting board and serve it with sauce and vegetables.
•Some big-box stores carry boneless legs of lamb, often from Australia, at a very reasonable price. However, they aren't butterflied (cut open so that the boned leg lies flat and the thicker parts of the meat sliced to even out the overall thickness), or trimmed well of fat. The quality of the butterflying and trimming can also be a problem at supermarkets. The good news is that it's not difficult to remedy the situation. Use your sharpest knife to trim the fat from both the boned side and the outside of the lamb.
•To butterfly your boneless lamb leg, cut it open so that it lies flat, boned side up. Look for the sections that are thicker, and holding a very sharp boning or other long-bladed knife horizontally, cut each thick muscle almost, but not completely, in half, keeping the upper piece attached, so that the meat opens up to form a bigger area with a more uniform thickness.
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Reviews (9)
Back to TopWow, arugula with lamb garlic and rosemary is amazing. I first cooked the garlic and olive oil and added the oregano and salt and pepper and set it in a bowl. then I cooked the arugula in the same pan, just enough to wilt it. I rubbed the inside of the meat with some of the garlic/oregano spread, added the arugula in the middle and tied with cotton twine. I rubbed the entire roast with the rest of the garlic/oregano and put in a 400 degree oven. I served with roasted potatoes, beets and peas from the garden.
maria_louisa
California
3/20/2017
This recipe is not difficult to make, however, it is time consuming. It was a disappointing tasting experience. The best part was the garlic/spinach stuffing. The paste, although it smelled delicious, was undetectable when baked in and on the lamb roast. Perhaps if it had been doubled in volume, it would have added a punch. I followed the recipe with no substitutions. Maybe a little chicken stock and dry white wine would have given it the pizazz that it lacked. We had enough for leftovers, and even reheated, it was unremarkable. Australian lamb is fantastic, and I am sorry that it was wasted with this recipe.
lhjames
Nashville, Tennessee
7/3/2015
I made it per the recipe except I eliminated the asparagus and added fresh rosemary to the roasted vegetables. Absolutely delicious!
dwbennett
New York, NY
4/9/2015
Mediocre at best. Don't understand the other rave reviews.
hswcpa
Fairfax, VA
4/21/2014
Perhaps it was my cut of meat, but it was more work than taste. It was only OK, and very labor intensive. It took over 30 minutes just to remove all the fat. No, I will never make it again. A huge disappointment.
katpages1
PA
4/20/2014
Doubled the recipe. So as not to crowd the pan, I cooked the two roasts in a roasting pan and cooked veggies in a separate pan underneath, following the recommended times. Times were precise to the minute. Veggies: Because the veggies wouldn't get flavor from the lamb, I added fresh rosemary (not chopped) to pan with the oil, salt and pepper, and finished them with lemon juice and lemon zest. They were crisp tender and flavorful. A hit. Would do more onions and fewer potatoes next time. Just personal preference. Meat: delicious. Arugula stuffing: too salty and a little stringy. Either don't salt the arugula much or at all or cut back on extra salt on meat before rub goes on. As to stringiness, I'd like to try chard next time instead. Also, I really went to town squeezing out the arugula's liquid. Perhaps if I'd left more moisture it would have been more palatable. Gravy: Did not use cornstarch on pan sauce. Perfect without. Again, just personal preference, and it saves a step.
Anonymous
3/31/2013
The was a great meal, an Easter hit. The sauce was perfect. The recommended times were spot on. I did add about a 1/2 cup of water to the roasting pan when I added the vegetables. It helped to cook the veggies and I avoided burning the bottom of the pan which I find happens often when I cook a roast.
jvrutig
3/31/2013
Delicious. Did not use chicken broth or cornstarch in the sauce which was alread perfect and full bodied without. Will do it again
Anonymous
Montreal
3/31/2013
Had huge success impressing my in-laws with this. All raved about it. I made the following substitutions: I used a smaller piece of lamb than called for. For the stuffing, I used spinach; didn't have a food processor so I minced the garlic, plus I used dried rosemary and some dried parsley instead of fresh oregano.
Anonymous
Long Island
3/24/2013
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