Butterflied Leg of Lamb With Lemon Salsa Verde
- Total Time
- 45 minutes, plus at least one hour's marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- 1boneless butterflied leg of lamb, 5 to 6 pounds, well trimmed
- 2½teaspoons coarse kosher salt, more as needed
- 1½teaspoons black pepper
- 7garlic cloves, grated on a Microplane or minced
- ¼cup chopped fresh thyme leaves
- ¼cup chopped fresh oregano or marjoram leaves
- 2teaspoons ground cumin
- 1teaspoon Turkish chile such as Marash or Urfa (or use crushed red pepper flakes)
- Finely grated zest of 2 lemons
- 2½tablespoons fresh lemon juice, more as needed
- 5tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 to 4tablespoons minced preserved lemon, to taste
- ¾cup chopped parsley
- ½cup chopped cilantro
- ½cup chopped mint
- 2scallions, white and green parts, thinly sliced
Nutritional analysis per serving (12 servings)
407 calories; 29 grams fat; 11 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 14 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 1 gram sugars; 31 grams protein; 491 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Pat lamb dry with paper towels and place on a rimmed baking sheet. Season all over with salt and pepper.
- Step 2
Set aside 1 teaspoon of the garlic. In a bowl, combine remaining garlic with thyme, oregano or marjoram, cumin, chile, lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Drizzle in about 1 tablespoon oil, just enough to create a sandy paste. Rub mixture all over lamb. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate for at least 1 hour or, even better, overnight in the refrigerator.
- Step 3
Prepare the salsa verde: In a small bowl, combine a pinch of salt, the remaining teaspoon garlic, remaining ½ tablespoon lemon juice, 3 tablespoons preserved lemon, parsley, cilantro, mint and scallion and stir well. Drizzle in remaining oil. Season with more preserved lemon, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture sit for at least 30 minutes before serving to allow the flavors to meld and mellow.
- Step 4
Heat oven to 450 degrees. Roast lamb without turning for 22 to 35 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reads 120 degrees for rare and 130 for medium. Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving with the salsa verde.
Private Notes
Comments
For a 3.5 lb rolled roast, 400 degrees for 20 minutes, 350 for 40 minutes. Done to medium rare. If you want rare, remove from oven at 110-115 internal temp. Agree with several others that the salsa was far too salty; cut way back on the preserved lemon, or just use zest instead. Otherwise, a fine recipe
This recipe was beautiful. Next time I would not add the preserved lemon to the salsa. In my opinion, the preserved lemon makes it kind of chemically tasting — like what Spic and Span might taste like if you were into eating cleaning products. Having said that, I will definitely make this again, I’ll just choose fresh lemon over the preserved for the salsa.
warning--450 f is much too high- lamb will overcook in allotted time
Butterflied leg is simply beautiful. I followed the instructions & also the ingredients as stated in this recipe. 22 minutes @450. DELICIOUSNESS! 05-08-25. Marinated over nite, perfection!
We grilled this instead of roasting in the oven, and it was sublime. Mind the salt in the salsa verde -- preserved lemon is salty already, but it adds a wonderful deeper flavor to the herbs. Speaking of which, adjust the herb proportion to your taste! I like cilantro more than parsley, so I adjust accordingly.
This was the best lamb that I have ever made--tender and flavorful.