Best Roast Leg Of Lamb With Pomegranate Cucumber And Mint Salsa Recipes

CHEF JOHN'S ROASTED LEG OF LAMB

Chef John's Roasted Leg of Lamb image

I've done more than a few lamb dishes dedicated to Easter, but inexplicably have never posted one for a whole leg of lamb. It's such a classic Easter menu option, and, when prepared using this method, makes for a very user-friendly hunk of meat.

Provided by Chef John

Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Lamb Leg

Time 10h20m

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 13

Ingredients

¼ cup pomegranate molasses
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 tablespoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Aleppo pepper
1 teaspoon dried mint
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (5 pound) boneless leg of lamb, butterflied
kitchen twine
salt to taste
water as needed
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses, or as needed

Steps:

Stir 1/4 cup pomegranate molasses, garlic, rosemary, kosher salt, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, mint, and cumin together in a bowl.
Arrange the butterflied leg of lamb onto a work surface with the fatty side facing down. Cut 2 deep slashes in each of the the fleshy ends of the meat. Flip the lamb and cut 10 to 20 shallow slashes across the surface of the fat.
Spread 3/4 the pomegranate molasses mixture onto the meat-side of the lamb to coat completely. Fold meat together and turn into a large bowl. Spread remaining pomegranate mixture over the fatty side of the meat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate 8 hours to overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place a roasting rack in the bottom of a roasting pan.
Remove lamb from marinade and discard excess marinade. Gather roast and place onto a work surface with fatty side facing upwards. Tie the center section of the roast with kitchen twine to cinch the roast together. Repeat ties four times along the length of the roast.
Season roast with salt and transfer to prepared roasting pan. Pour water below the rack to cover the bottom of the pan.
Roast in the preheated oven until hot and slightly pink in the center, about 1 3/4 hours. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). Rest for 15 minutes, transfer to a plate, and brush with remaining pomegranate molasses.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 344.4 calories, Carbohydrate 5.8 g, Cholesterol 115.3 mg, Fat 20.6 g, Fiber 0.4 g, Protein 31.9 g, SaturatedFat 8.6 g, Sodium 823.5 mg, Sugar 4.7 g

ROAST LEG OF LAMB WITH POMEGRANATE, CUCUMBER AND MINT SALSA

Roast Leg of Lamb with Pomegranate, Cucumber and Mint Salsa image

Categories Fruit Herb Lamb Nut Vegetable Roast Quick & Easy Mint Cucumber Winter Pomegranate Gourmet

Yield Serves 6

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

5 garlic cloves
a half leg of lamb (butt end; about 4 pounds)
tablespoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tablespoons olive oil
For salsa
1/2 cup pine nuts (about 4 ounces)
1 English cucumber
2 tablespoons mint jelly
2 tablespoons white-wine vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
seeds from 1 large pomegranate
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

Steps:

Preheat oven to 325°F.
Mince garlic. Put lamb on a rack in a roasting pan and in small bowl stir together garlic, rosemary, mint, and oil. Rub mixture onto lamb and season with salt and pepper. Roast lamb in middle of oven 1 1/2 hours, or until a meat thermometer registers 145°F for medium-rare. Transfer lamb to a cutting board and let stand, covered loosely with foil, 10 minutes.
Make salsa while lamb is standing:
Toast pine nuts in a dry skillet over moderate heat until golden. Seed cucumber and cut into 1/4-inch dice. In a bowl whisk together jelly, vinegar, and oil until jelly is broken up into tiny pieces and add remaining salsa ingredients, tossing. Season salsa with salt and pepper. (Do not make salsa ahead or it will become watery.)
Thinly slice lamb across grain and arrange on a platter. Top lamb with some salsa and serve remaining salsa on the side.