Slow Roasted Lamb leg with potatoes – Greek Style

If you’ve never tried Greek-style Lamb roasting before, make sure you give it a try at least once in your life! It’s that good!!! Read on as I’m going to share with you all the cooking secrets for the slow-cooked Greek-Style Roasted Lamb.

Greek style slow cooking Lamb roast

The Greek Style method of slow-roasting Lamb will give you a very tender roast with the meat falling off the bones easily. It will be soft, pink, and juicy on the inside and crispy on the outside, truly delicious!

3 step roasting method for tenderizing Lamb

This is my favorite method for roasting Lamb because it tastes as close to Lamb on a spit as possible.

1 Step: Add the Lamb (without the potatoes) to a preheated oven at 200C / 400F for 30 minutes, covered.
2 Step: Reduce your oven to 160C /320F, add the potatoes and cook for 1 hour, covered.
3 Step: Uncover your pan and continue cooking it at 160C / 320F for 1 hour.

If needed, at the last 10 minutes use the Grill option of your oven.

If you would like to roast a bigger Lamb Leg you should increase the roasting time when you roast it covered by approximately 30 minutes /per kg.

Lamb Roast cooking time

The 2.5 hours of roasting time I mention in this recipe is for a small Lamb leg weighing 1.5kg (3.3 pounds). If you double the amount you do NOT also double the roasting time.

For example, if you buy a 3 kg Lamb leg, which is for 4 people, you should roast it for a little more than 3 hours. It depends on your oven and the cuts that your butcher has done to the meat. Keep in mind that every oven roasts a bit differently so after you remove the cover of your roaster you should check your food often (every 20-30 minutes) if you are aiming for the perfect roast.

Oven temperature and variations

When I was a student, I had a small oven but it was very powerful, and to achieve the same result as my current oven I was roasting the Lamb at 150C /300F.

Later on, when I bought a normal oven I found out that it was not as powerful as my small oven and I increased the temperature to 160C /320F to achieve the same result.

My small oven was baking pizza in 8 minutes but my normal oven for the same pizza needs 12-14 minutes. I’m letting you know about these examples so that you could understand the differences from one oven to another and adjust the temperature or figure out the perfect baking time depending on your oven’s strength.

How to cut the Lamb suitable for oven roasting

When you buy Lamb to roast in the oven tell your butcher to chop it for oven roasting. He should know how to do it but I include the photo below to show you what it should look like just in case you forget and you have to chop it yourself at home.

How to cut the potatoes for oven roasting

Use medium size potatoes for your Lamb roast and cut them in half, length-wise, and then in half again so they will be quartered. I add the potatoes not from the start but in the 2^nd Step of my Lamb roasting so that they finish cooking together with the Lamb.

What spices to use for your roasted Lamb

The spices each person adds to his/her roasted meat is a personal preference. Some like to add Rosemary, others like Thyme or Oregano, some others use Paprika, etc. My personal preference for spices for Lamb or Goat meat is only Salt and Pepper.

Although, for other meat, I like to add some of the spices mentioned above, when it comes to Lamb I like to enjoy it without any other spices.

If you have ever tried Lamb on a spit you will understand what I’m talking about. Lamb has a distinguishing, gamey flavor and I feel like I’m ruining it if I add any other spices while roasting it. That is just my personal preference and if you choose to add other spices to your meat I respect your choice.

My mother used to “hide” a few cloves of garlic inside the Lamb by poking the meat with a small knife but I prefer the garlic inside the pan/hull to give their aroma to the potatoes rather than the inside of the Lamb.

The reason I don’t use lemon juice while it’s still being roasted but I add it to my plate is because I would like to imitate the flavor of a Lamb roasting on a Spit.

Slow Roasted Lamb leg with potatoes – Greek Style

Prep: 5m | Cook: 2h 30m | Total: 2h 35m | Serve: 2

Ingredients:

1.5 kg Lamb Leg (3.3 pounds)
1.5 kg Potatoes medium size, quartered
5 cloves of garlic, halved or quartered
6 Tbsp Olive Oil, extra virgin, divided
Salt and pepper for seasoning
A few slices of Lemon for the plating

Instructions:

Wash the Lamb, wipe it with a little kitchen paper, season it with salt and pepper, pour a little Olive Oil, and massage it to go everywhere.
Add it to the hull, without the potatoes, and BAKE at 200C, covered, for 30 minutes. (Step 1)
Cut the potatoes into quarters and season them with salt and pepper 5 minutes before you add them to the hull together with the garlic.
After 30 minutes, lower the temperature to 160C /320F, add the potatoes with the garlic and pour 1/3 cup water, a generous pour of Olive Oil, and Roast them covered for 1 hour. (Step 2)
Uncover the hull and continue Roasting for 1 hour at 160C /320F. (Step 3) (Flipping the lamb is optional)
Optional step the last 10 minutes if it’s not golden already put it in the Grill option of your oven and your Lamb / Goat is ready!
Serve the lamb with a few slices of Lemon, Tzatziki dip /sauce, and a green salad or a Greek salad.

Notes:

If you don’t own a roaster pan with a lid, you can cover it with 2 sheets of parchment paper, which you should spray with a little water and one sheet of aluminum foil on top. Then you can follow the roasting instructions of this recipe.
If you are roasting a bigger Lamb leg, for example, 3 kg, then add the potatoes at the 1-hour mark of your lamb cooking time. You may also add them from the beginning of your roasting if you find it convenient, but you will most likely end up taking them out before your lamb is fully roasted.