BROILED AND SLOW-ROASTED BUTTERFLIED LEG OF LAMB WITH CUMIN AND GARLIC

Broiled and Slow-Roasted Butterflied Leg of Lamb With Cumin and Garlic image

Who says making a feast has to take forever? For large gatherings like Passover and Easter, leg of lamb is the roast of choice, and arranged on a platter garnished with herbs, it makes a stunning centerpiece. Buying leg of lamb butterflied from the butcher will leave you time to socialize while it is slow-roasting without worrying about uneven cooking.

Provided by USA WEEKEND columnist Pam Anderson

Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Lamb Leg

Yield 14

Number Of Ingredients 9

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 ½ teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 (8 pound) leg of lamb, boned and butterflied to a more or less even thickness, 4 3/4 to 5 1/2 pounds trimmed weight, fell and most fat removed
1 lemon, juiced
½ cup Minced fresh parsley, cilantro or mint

Steps:

Mix oil, garlic, salt, pepper, cumin and oregano; spread paste on both sides of the lamb and let stand for an hour until meat comes to room temperature.
Adjust oven rack to upper or upper-middle position (depending on lamb's thickness) and preheat broiler on high for at least 10 minutes.
Place lamb, cut side up, on a large wire rack set over a foil-lined roasting pan. Broil, moving pan so entire surface browns evenly, about 8 minutes. Turn lamb over; continue to broil until well browned on the other side, about 8 minutes longer. Turn off broiler, remove lamb from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
Heat oven to 325 degrees. Stick a meat thermometer into the thickest portion of the lamb; return it to the oven. Roast for a total of 50 minutes to 1 hour, until thermometer registers a rosy-pink 140 degrees. Check lamb several times after 30 minutes. If lamb gets done sooner, simply turn down oven to 170 degrees until ready to serve.
As soon as lamb comes out of the oven, squeeze on lemon juice and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Carve, slicing across the grain when possible. Arrange on a platter, drizzle with accumulated juices, and serve.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 336.4 calories, Carbohydrate 2.2 g, Cholesterol 105.6 mg, Fat 22.8 g, Fiber 0.7 g, Protein 29.5 g, SaturatedFat 8.4 g, Sodium 493.5 mg, Sugar 0.1 g