Photo: Lemony Yogurt Marinated Leg of Lamb Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup finely chopped walnuts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh oregano
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh savory
- 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 (4 to 5 pound) leg of lamb, boneless and prepared for stuffing
- Salt
- 4 cups Greek style yogurt (preferably Fage brand)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions
In a small bowl, combine the walnuts, olive oil, garlic, oregano, thyme, savory, 1 teaspoon of the lemon zest and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice. Spoon the mixture on the inside of the lamb leg. Season lightly with salt, if desired. Roll the leg up and tie securely with kitchen twine.
In a separate medium bowl, combine the yogurt, remaining 2 teaspoons lemon zest, remaining 3 tablespoons lemon juice, cumin, white pepper, allspice, cinnamon and salt, to taste. Mix well. Place the lamb leg in a resealable plastic food storage bag and add 2 cups of the yogurt mixture. Turn leg in the mixture to coat well; refrigerate overnight. Refrigerate remaining yogurt mixture separately to serve as a sauce for the lamb (return to room temperature before using.)
Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Bring the lamb to room temperature.
Remove the lamb from the yogurt marinade and wipe off most of the excess yogurt. Season the outside of the lamb with salt. Place the lamb in a large shallow casserole or roasting pan and transfer to the oven. Roast lamb until golden brown; turn lamb to other side and cook until desired degree of doneness, usually 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour and 15 minutes total for medium-rare. If lamb gets too brown during cooking, tent the dish loosely with aluminum foil. Remove lamb from oven and let stand for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.
Serve the lamb with the remaining lemon yogurt sauce.
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By CabinKat
Sugar Mountain, NC
on April 02, 2013
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This was okay, but not "awesome". The recipe calls for a temp. of 500 degrees, and this is too high for this meat. I'm high elevation, so I have to adjust most my cooking accordingly. I did 425 for 1/2 hour and then 350 for the remainder, 20 minutes per pound. The meat came out perfectly. My only disappointment was the dipping yogurt sauce. Way too much lemon to compliment the flavor of the lamb. It was better without it.
By bbirman
on April 09, 2012
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This was one of the most successful recipes I have ever tried. I did my usual and changed a few things but it was too good for words. (Changed the fresh oregano for fresh mint.
The big thing I would change is the temp. 500 was much too hot and I set off the smoke alarm twice with the smoke . ( The second time I called the monitoring service to cancel the alarm they asked if I would like to put my alarm on hold for an hour. Today my daughter called from work to tell me she was have some leftovers for lunch and every time she took a bite her tummy said, "Thank you". I would increase the cooking time by 15 - 20 min.
By tifferbe_2000_7...
Hughesville, MD
on April 02, 2010
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I've made this recipe around 10 times, all to people who swore they never liked the taste of lamb. This recipe won them over every time. I love it, and its pretty easy to prepare. I try to use fresh herbs whenever I can, however I've made this with dried herbs and it turned out very nice. I would say turning the lamb in the oven is essential, and keep an eye on it; it can burn a little when you are not looking. But even the burnt part was delicious LOL. Use greek yogurt, do not substitute, it really makes a difference. If you can find greek yogurt at the store, then drain plain regular yogurt in a cheesecloth for a few hours, making sure to squeeze it to really get the thick texture you want.
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