Best Roast Leg of Lamb
With proper homemade mint sauce.
- Rest
- 15 min
- Oven
- 200°C
Ingredients
Lamb
- 3 clovesGarlic, peeled and crushed
- Rosemary leaves, from half a small bunch, coarsely chopped
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Olive oil
- 2 kgQuality leg of lamb
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Potatoes
- 1.5 kgPotatoes, peeled and cut in half
- Rosemary sprigs, the other half of the bunch
- The rest of the garlic bulb, cloves left whole
- Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Olive oil
Mint sauce
- 4 tbspChopped fresh mint leaves
- 1 tspSugar
- 2 pinchesSalt
- 1 tbspHot water
- 3 tbspWine vinegar
Method
- Step 1. Preheat. Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F, gas 6) with a roasting tray on the bottom shelf.
200°C · Oven
- Step 2. Rub. Stir the crushed garlic, chopped rosemary, zest and oil together. Season the lamb, rub the mixture into it, and set it straight on the oven bars above the tray.
- Step 3. Boil. Bring the potatoes to the boil, simmer for 10 minutes, drain, and rough up their edges.
10 min
- Step 4. Toss. Toss with the rosemary sprigs and whole garlic, season, and add a good splash of oil. Tip into the hot tray under the lamb so they catch the juices.
- Step 5. Mix. For the sauce, stir the mint, sugar, salt, hot water and vinegar together.
- Step 6. Roast. Roast for about 1 hour 15 minutes for pink lamb, or 1½ hours for more well done.
1 h 15 min – 1 h 30 min
- Step 7. Rest. Take the lamb out, cover with foil and leave for 15 minutes.
15 min
- Step 8. Carve. Carve and serve with the potatoes and mint sauce.
Notes
- A few parsnips or carrots can roast with the potatoes.
- Health Canada’s safe internal temperatures for lamb: 63°C medium-rare, 71°C medium, 77°C well done.
Source: Adapted from Best roast leg of lamb (opens in a new tab) by Jamie Oliver.Added October 30, 2026 · updated October 31, 2026
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