Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint Chimichurri Sauce

Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint Chimichurri Sauce is perfect for your special meal.

Meltingly tender leg of lamb that been slow roasted to fall apart, tender perfection with wine, garlic, and onion.  A simple pan gravy with the bright notes of a mint chimichurri elevate the lamb to elegant sophistication while being incredibly fool proof and simple.

Have you ever been to a restaurant and ordered something so good, you go back to get it again and then obsess about how you can recreate it yourself?  That’s how my Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint Chimichurri Sauce was created.

My uncle introduced my daughter and I to a favorite restaurant of his, Great Queen Street in London, while we were visiting there with him a few summers ago.  The restaurant isn’t pretentious, but the ever changing, seasonal menu is gourmet quality.  I ordered what I believe they called a Lamb Ragu with a Homemade Flatbread and Mint.  And then came back two nights later and ordered it again.    

While I’m sure my recipe isn’t exact, the spirit of the meltingly tender bites of lamb with the most flavorful gravy/sauce and little pops of bright mint garnishing the dish is the same.

I serve my Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint Chimichurri Sauce on a bed of fluffy, yukon gold mashed potatoes, but this could be served with noodles, rice, crusty bread, or alone.

Who doesn’t love a meal that slow cooks its way to perfection with relatively little effort and has special occasion, company worthy results?  That’s what this dish is all about.

Leg of lamb is most often cooked to a perfect medium rare.  Slow roasting with the flavor elevating ingredients of wine and garlic take away all the stress of perfectly timing your roast.  The meat is literally so tender, you will not need to slice the roast, just serve using tongs. Slow roasting is also more forgiving and the meat can rest for an hour or so if needed and still be perfectly divine.

How to make Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint Chimichurri Sauce

Start by resting the lamb at room temperature for an hour.  This helps promote even cooking.

Then, place an a peeled onion cut into 4-6 pieces, a head of garlic cut in half, and half a bunch of fresh parsley in the bottom of a 9×13 pan suitable for roasting.  Use cooking spray or oil on the interior of the pan to help with clean-up later.

Rub olive oil, salt, and pepper on all sides of the roast and lay it on top of the vegetables so that it is not sitting directly on the bottom of the pan.  If your leg of lamb is boneless, make sure it is tied with butcher twine if it did not come in a meat net.

Pour dry red wine and beef stock around the roast and cover it tightly with foil.  Bake at 325 degrees for 4 hours.  Remove the foil and raise the temperature and let the roast brown for 30 minutes.  The meat should be fork tender.

Make the Mint Chimichurri Sauce 30-60 minutes before serving so it has a change to marinate.  Preparation is quick and easy and just consists of chopping fresh mint and parsley, shallot, garlic and stirring together with olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and chili flakes in a small serving bowl.

Let the roast rest in it’s juices for 20 minutes, loosely tented with foil.

While the meat is resting, use a spoon to skim 2-3 tablespoons of the fat from the top of the meat juices and place it in a saucepan.  Bring to a simmer, and whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour.  Cook the flour for 1-2 minutes and then slowly whisk in 2 cups of the remaining meat juices and simmer for several minutes to thicken slightly.

The meat can be served with some of the pan gravy drizzled on with plently left over for a gravy boat.  Serve the Mint Chimichurri Sauce on the side for garnishing.

Oven Roasted Asparagus is a great side dish to serve with lamb and can be quickly roasted while the gravy is being made.

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Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint Chimichurri Sauce

Meltingly tender leg of lamb that been slow roasted to fall apart, tender perfection with wine, garlic, and onion. A simple pan gravy with the bright notes of a mint chimichurri elevate the lamb to elegant sophistication while being incredibly fool proof and simple.

Course Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb with Mint Chimichurri Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours 30 minutes

Total Time 4 hours 40 minutes

Servings 8

Calories 830kcal

Author Jennifer Grissom

Ingredients

• 4.25 pound boneless leg of lamb rolled and tied
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 onion peeled and cut into 6 wedges
• 1/2 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley about 1 cup
• 1 head garlic cut in half
• 3 cups beef stock
• 1 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons flour

Mint Chimichurri

• 1/4 cup mint leaves chopped
• 1/4 cup flat leaf parlsey chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh squeezed
• 1 tablespoon shallot, finely minced
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, fresh ground
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Instructions

• Let the roast sit at room temperature for an hour.
  
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees fahrenheit.
  
• Use cooking spray or other means to grease a 9×13 baking/roasting pan.
  
• Place cut onion, garlic head, and parsley in the bottom of the pan.
  
• Brush all sides of the roast with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
  
• Place the leg of lamb roast on top of the onion, garlic, and parsley with the fat cap on the top.
  
• Pour the beef stock and wine around the outside of the roast.
  
• Tightly cover the pan with foil and cook for 4 hours or until very fork tender.
  
• RAISE the oven temperature to 425 degrees and remove the foil and cook for 20-30 minutes to brown the roast.
  
• Rest the roast in some or all of it’s juices, loosely tented with foil, for 20 minutes or more.
  

Pan Gravy

• While the meat is resting, use a spoon to skim 2-3 tablespoons of the fat from the top of the meat juices and place it in a saucepan.
  
• Bring to a simmer, and whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour. Cook the flour for 1-2 minutes and then slowly whisk in 2 cups of the remaining meat juices and simmer for several minutes to thicken slightly.  Do make sure to include a few of the cloves of garlic, free of the peels in the gravy.  They will be very soft and should easily mash/whisk in with the gravy.
  
• Taste gravy to check if additional salt and pepper is desired.
  

Mint Chimichurri

• Add the chopped mint and parsley and the minced shallot and garlic to a small serving bowl.  Stir in the olive oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and pepper flakes.
  
• Let marinate for 30-60 minutes before using as a garnish over the roasted lamb and pan gravy.
  

Notes

Add approximately 30 minutes more per pound for larger roasts.

Nutrition

Calories: 830kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 42g | Fat: 66g | Saturated Fat: 26g | Cholesterol: 175mg | Sodium: 762mg | Potassium: 773mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 535IU | Vitamin C: 11.4mg | Calcium: 66mg | Iron: 4.6mg

Jennifer Grissom

Mother, Gardener, Book Devourer, and Food Obsessor. I love being inspired with fresh, seasonal ingredients and relish every opportunity to elevate my home cooking. Join me!

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