20 Amazing Leg of Lamb Recipes

This impressive main is very tender and loaded with dynamic flavor. The doneness of the lamb varies depending on what part of the meat you eat from, making it perfect for a crowd with different preferences. Most grocery stores carry deboned leg of lamb in spring, but you can also ask your butcher to cut the lamb bone out of the leg and to butterfly it. If the meat is thicker than 1 inch anywhere, cut it down to size or cook it longer. Know your grill and make sure to use a thermometer. 

This easy roasted leg of lamb dish relies on plenty of fresh herbs and spices for its satisfying and robust flavor.  Gremolata is a traditional seasoning mixture featuring grated lemon zest, garlic, and parsley, and is often served with osso buco. 

Serve this delicious grilled lamb with turnips glazed with brown sugar, vinegar, and butter. Haricots verts also make a good companion. Look for a boneless, butterflied leg of lamb, preferably Colorado or Icelandic, and trim any excess fat.

Leg of lamb is an easy, yet holiday-worthy, roast. Buzz together the flavorful salt seasoning in a food processor, and rub it onto the meat at least 12 hours before roasting. Trust an instant-read meat thermometer to ensure the lamb is the perfect rosy pink in the center.

We call for a boneless leg of lamb for convenience and a shorter cooking time; if you'd rather use a bone-in leg, it may take an hour to reach 130°.

Greeks prefer their lamb cooked through--as in, well done. It's not a dry, unpleasant well done, mind you, but from a long, low and slow dry heat that results in a significant (often deeply seasoned and lemony) exterior crust, and an almost fork-tender interior. The meat will shrink, but the flavors will also concentrate. Turn the lamb fairly frequently. Meat juices will stay in motion, and you'll get an evenly moist interior.

Dinner's a breeze with Seasoned Lamb Kebabs on the menu. Save time by combining this recipe's bevvy of warming spices in advance, and chop veggies and store them in the fridge until it’s time to make your skewers.

Look for a roughly 5-lb. boneless leg of lamb rolled in netting; no need to unroll and retie. Roast in the netting, and then remove it with kitchen shears.

Ben Ford, chef of Ford's Filling Station in Culver City, California, uses a generous hand with rosemary in this recipe to enhance the smoky flavor from the grill. He cooks the lamb on a wood-fired firepit-grill made by Cowboy Cauldron, but the recipe works beautifully with a charcoal or gas grill as well.

This leg of lamb is perfectly juicy in the center, with a fantastic crust. The recipe is so easy that it's ideal for a dinner party, as well as for Easter.

Mint jelly is traditional with lamb, but not everyone loves its cloying sweetness or garish color. This fresh mint pesto takes a more savory direction, and is rolled up in the lamb to flavor it as it roasts. Served with tiny peas, new potatoes, and a big butter lettuce salad, this roast is Easter worthy.

Hours of cooking on very low heat makes this lamb fall-off-the-bone tender, and a blast of high heat at the end crisps the surface. All you need to round out the dinner are mashed potatoes and a salad.

At Haven's Kitchen in New York City, this tender braised leg of lamb might be served at a private dinner party. Chef David Mawhinny then sandwiches any extra meat and meat juices with pickled vegetables and focaccia for lunch.

It may be an intimidating protein, but if you need to feed a crowd, lamb's the way to go. Orange and lemon in the marinade make for a bright counterpoint to the earthy cumin. Stuff leftovers into pitas, and drizzle with yogurt.

Leg of lamb is a little like roast beef in that it is best served warm, but it also tastes mighty good at room temperature. Pesto alone is a classic accompaniment for grilled lamb.

Plenty of garlic, fresh rosemary, and fresh oregano perfectly season this bone-in leg of lamb roast. The homemade yogurt sauce features Greek yogurt combined with diced plum tomato, red onion, and cucumber, plus chopped fresh chives, red wine vinegar, and more garlic.  

Although it's budget-friendly, this dish is elegant enough for company. Serve with steamed fresh green beans.

Spoon lamb gets its name from the texture of the meat when it's finished cooking: so tender, you can cut it with a spoon. This long, slow cooking technique benefits leg of lamb, typically a tough cut, and the acidity of the coffee offsets the richness of the meat. The sauce made from the drippings begs for polenta or potatoes.

The dried apricots swell and soften with the Moroccan-spiced juices of the roasting lamb. Ras el hanout is a Moroccan spice mix available at upscale grocery stores or Middle Eastern markets.

This dish works well for entertaining a crowd. Small red potatoes stand in nicely for fingerlings, if necessary. Garnish each serving with a rosemary sprig, if desired.