Roast Lamb with Fingerling Potatoes
3 Apr 2012
Easter is coming up this weekend, and i’m so excited because it’s one of my favorite holidays! My brother and sister in law are visiting from Utah, which means all of my husband’s family can celebrate together–and my mother in law is cooking! This is always a really good thing, but she hates lamb, which makes me sad–because I love it, ecspecially this time of year when it’s super traditional.
So tonight I decided to make my own little family an early Easter dinner. I have never cooked leg of lamb before, so it was a fun learning experience for me! I told my husband to be home on time at 5.30 for it, and then I didn’t end up serving it until almost 7pm!! Whoops. Sorry!! We were both starving by then, but it was well worth the wait, because it was so delicious! We decided to make roast lamb an Easter tradition every year!
Here’s the recipe I followed. I watched a video tutorial from Gordon Ramsay and then wrote it down with a simple step by step for next time! [And of course for you guys in case you're feeling lamb for Easter too this year].
Ingredients:
1 boneless leg of lamb
1 Tbsp fennel seeds
1 Tbsp smoked paprika
1 Tbsp kosher salt
1 tsp ceyenne (red pepper)
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp tumeric
1 tsp cinnamon
Vegetables:
1 medium onion
3 sticks of celery
3 carrots
Olive oil
1 Tbsp honey
For the mustard lime Vinagarette:
1 Tbsp grainy dijon mustard
2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Lime
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 325degF. Mix all the spices for the rub together in a roasting pan With a paring knife, make small holes all the way through the lamb by pushing & twisting.
Add some sprigs of thyme to the sticks of cinnamon and push it through the holes in the lamb Coat the lamb in the spices. One funny reviewer said it kind of looked like a heart at this point… ha! He’s kind of right. [But don't think about that. That's gross].
Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a pan. Roughly chop the onion, carrot and celery, then add to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes on medium high. Add 2 Tbsp of honey to help the vegetables caramelize. Season some salt and pepper.
Place the vegetables in the roasting pan. Add the lamb to the pan with 1 Tbsp more olive oil and sear on high for 1-2 minutes on all sides.
Transfer to the roasting pan, placing on top of the vegetables. Sprinkle with some kosher salt and drizzle with a little olive oil. [P.S. my leg of lamb was so big and heavy that as I moved it around to sear it, it fell apart, so I just tied it with some kitchen string to hold its shape. You might need to do this also].
Roast 325oF |
25-30 min/lb |
Medium-Rare 145oF |
Slice into thin slices
To make the vinaigrette:
Add the juice and rind of one lime along with 1 Tbsp mustard and 2 Tbsp olive oil to a bowl, stir to combine.
To make the potatoes:
Put the potatoes in a saucepan with just enough water to cover them, and boil for 10 minutes until tender, but still a little firm. Drain, then let cool slightly.
Slice the potatoes lengthways. Melt 1 Tbsp butter in 1 Tbsp olive oil, then sautee until lightly golden. Arrange the potatoes on a plate. Top with the lamb, and spoon the vinaigrette around it
It looks elegant, and tastes amazing too!
In the recipe I followed, Gordon Ramsay had two small legs of lamb, so they only took an hour to cook. That was what I was preparing for–but when I took out the meat thermometer after an hour of cooking time, it only read 40deg (which was 105deg short of where it needed to be) because my cut was SO BIG! On the plus side, having a big cut means I have a lot extra to make lamb gyros and lamb curry with this week! Yay! I love lamb, and Easter is just not Easter without it!
Hope you enjoy guys, and keep checking back for more recipes!!
<3 Sarah
Mar 25, 2013 @ 15:47:37
Hi Sarah, I saw this earlier tonight on Google, but your pictures and recipe have persuaded me to make it this Easter Sunday, thank you so much. I live in Dorset, England and my son and his wife and my 3 grandchildren are all coming to stay for Easter. I feel much more confident now that I have seen your website, fingers crossed it will all be delicious! Moya xx
Mar 27, 2013 @ 22:20:01
Moya, that’s so wonderful you get to host Easter for your family and grandchildren! I wish I could spend Easter with my Mum too! She’s volunteering at a national heritage site this Easter as their Easter Bunny! My kids would have loved to have seen that! I’m so glad you’re going to try this recipe… it really is delicious, and something a little different from the classic mint sauce! Your family will love it. Happy Easter!
Mar 31, 2013 @ 11:01:50
I just made this for dinner today! Very delicious, and because we had the whole family coming, i accompanied it with Gordon Ramsay’s Christmas Turkey and Gravy. Both are amazing!
Apr 01, 2013 @ 14:33:39
Wow! I can’t believe you made all of that, that’s a lot of work, but i’m sure it was well worth it if your family all loved it! I will have to try Gordon Ramsay’s Christmas Turkey and gravy this year! Everything he makes is wonderful! Glad you had an awesome Easter dinner with your family!
Oct 18, 2013 @ 16:23:51
This looks like a great recipe. I’m going to give it a go this weekend. By the way, I was in Mattawa last weekend picking up some grapes for my winery. It’s so beautiful out there.
Oct 22, 2013 @ 08:26:44
Oh wow! What a small world! Where were you out visiting from?
Oct 13, 2017 @ 12:41:40
Hello, I saw the same video years ago and I’ve always remembered wanting to try it. My brother got us 3 legs yesterday and I’m scrambling to find ways to cook them. I was in the process of writing down the recipe as he was explaining when I thought to do a quick search in hopes of someone else (who hopefully cooked it) and gave more detailed instructions. Thank you very much, you saved me a ton of time.
Mar 27, 2018 @ 09:13:25
Hello,
I’m a lil confused on the cooking time for this. What does the third tier in your cooking chart mean? I get the 325 setting, and the cook time by pounds, but do I have to add the 160F to the 325F to get medium rare?