How to Make Greek Leg of Lamb

Leg of lamb is a little more challenging than cooking a rack of lamb, and since it's larger you'll need more people to feed. This recipe is a common Greek method of cooking lamb, taught to me by my grandmother. The key is the thinly slivered garlic. This recipe serves eight to ten people.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• olive (not virgin) oil
• 10-15 whole garlic cloves
• 6-7 whole sprigs rosemary
• 1 tbsp kosher salts
• kitchen strings
• 2 tbsps cracked black pepper
• 1 6-7 pound leg of lamb
• instant-read cooking thermometers
• Olive (not Virgin) Oil
• Instant-read Cooking Thermometers
• Kitchen Strings
• 10-15 whole garlic cloves
• 2 tbsps cracked black pepper
• 1 6-7 pound leg of lamb
• 6-7 whole sprigs rosemary
• 1 tbsp kosher salts

1. Slice the whole garlic cloves lengthwise into slivers thinner than a dime. Set aside.

2. Strip the leaves off two rosemary sprigs and return the stripped sprigs to the rest. Mince the rosemary leaves and set aside.

3. Heat the oven to 500 degrees. If the lamb is tied with butcher's string, cut this off now.

4. Using just the tip of a thin, sharp paring knife, spear the lamb about 1/3-inch deep and insert a sliver of garlic into the slit. Stick the sliver all the way in; cut deeper if necessary.

5. Repeat over the top and sides of the leg. It is not necessary to insert garlic in the part of the leg that will face down in the roasting pan, but you can if you wish.

6. Once garlic is in, coat the lamb with a thin sheen of olive oil, and sprinkle with the salt, pepper and minced rosemary leaves.

7. Place the reserved rosemary sprigs in the bottom of a roasting pan and set the lamb on top.

8. Place in the oven and cook for 20 minutes, then lower heat to 350 and cook another hour or until internal temperature reaches 145 degrees. At this temperature, part of the lamb will be cooked medium and medium-well, but most will be medium-rare.

9. Let lamb rest for 20 minutes before transferring to a cutting board and carving. Use the pan juices left behind in the roasting pan for a sauce, if desired.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have clean butcher's string you can re-tie the lamb leg once it's been seasoned. It's not necessary, but trussing the leg helps it retain shape during cooking.
• Use only 100 percent cotton butcher's string; it's ovenproof and won't affect the flavor. To re-tie the lamb, wrap a length of string once around the top of the roast, tighten it firmly, and tie it off. Repeat this procedure in one or two-inch increments all the way down the leg. You may wind up scraping off some of the herbs and spices; just re-season the roast before it goes in the oven.
• Leave the string on as the roast rests after cooking, but remove it before carving. And don't forget to check under the roast for hidden string!
• Slice the garlic as thin as you can for this recipe. The thinner the better.
• Use an instant-read thermometer to test for doneness. These are about $5 in most supermarkets.
• If you don't have a thermometer, cut into the leg in the thin part, low on the leg; when this turns from pink to completely grey it's a safe bet that the thicker parts of the leg, further up, are medium-rare. If not, return it to the oven.

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