Tender Roasted Lamb and Potatoes (Video)
Few recipes bring on as much nostalgia for me as roasted lamb and potatoes. To this day, whenever it’s time for a family lunch or special occasion this dish is my dad’s go-to (my vegetarian mother won’t touch the stuff). There are always other options on the table like spinach and feta, butternut squash or sweet carrots, but the lamb and potatoes remain the centerpiece.
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It seems like in the U.S. many people have a similar tradition, but use beef instead of lamb. In this way, we have stuck with our South African roots. SA dwellers do tend to eat more lamb than here in the USA.
To me it doesn’t make an enormous difference, but I love the tiny hint of gaminess from lamb. Plus, where I live, it’s easier to find lamb sourced from sustainable farms than beef.
Ingredients for Roasted Lamb and Potatoes
Obviously, the mainstays here are lamb and potatoes. I usually use a leg of lamb with the bone still in. Some say this preserves moisture, while others say it improves the meat’s flavor. Either way, it’s what my local store sells and it’s what the original recipe (my dad’s) calls for, too.
Two flavors you really want with lamb are rosemary and garlic. Don’t ask me why–I’m not a flavor scientist. All I know is that it works.
It also doesn’t hurt to toss on some sliced onion and lemon. But these guys are negotiable.
If you don’t have them, don’t fret. You can still make your roasted lamb and potatoes and it will still be delicious.
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How To Make Roasted Lamb and Potatoes
Prep:
Preheat the oven to 400º and place the rack in the center.
First, peel the potatoes so you have them ready to go. If they’re big potatoes, cut them in quarters, but for most Yukon golds cut in half is fine. You want them to all be similar in size.
Next, prep the garlic and rosemary for the lamb. Instead of smashing the garlic, try keep each clove intact as you cut them into small slivers. Trim your rosemary into small pieces, as well.
With a sharp knife, make tiny slits in the lamb and stuff them with garlic and then rosemary. You don’t need the whole lamb to be decorated this way–the fatty top layer should be good enough. If there are any obvious entry holes in the meaty sides of the lamb, feel free to push a couple of garlic slivers in there, too.
Slice a few onion rings and place them in the bottom of a cast iron pot. Put your lamb on top, and coat with olive oil, making sure to cover all sides.
Put the potatoes in next, and coat them with olive oil, too. Finish by placing a few raw onion rings on top.
Optional: To add even more flavor, cut a few slices of lemon and place on top of the lamb.
Baking:
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and bake for 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, simply turn the oven down to 350º–no need to even open it. Let the roast cook for 40 minutes.
After 40 minutes, remove the pot from the oven and take off the lid. Then place it back in the oven uncovered and bake for an additional 20 minutes. This last bit will give the top of the lamb and potatoes a little crispiness. (Don’t worry, not too much.)
When the cooking time is up, remove the roast and let it rest for at least 10-15 minutes before digging in.
Serve with gravy, mint sauce or cranberry sauce with orange juice.
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Looking for more comfort food entrees? If you love roast leg of lamb with potatoes, you’ll love…
- South African Sweet and Sour Lamb – Denningvleis
- South African Chicken and Potato Stew
- Easy Bean Chili
- White Bean Soup
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Roasted Lamb and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 3.5lb leg of lamb (bone in) slightly more or less is fine
- 3 garlic cloves
- 2-4 sprigs of rosemary depends on size, just need a few small pieces to stick in the lamb
- olive oil to coat
- 4-6 Yukon gold potatoes
- 1/4 onion about 8-10 thin rings
- a few slices of lemon
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400º and place the rack in the center.
- First, peel the potatoes so you have them ready to go. If they’re big potatoes, cut them in quarters, but for most Yukon golds cut in half is fine. You want them to all be similar in size.
- Next, prep the garlic and rosemary for the lamb. Instead of smashing the garlic, try keep each clove intact as you cut them into small slivers. Trim your rosemary into small pieces, as well.
- With a sharp knife, make tiny slits in the lamb and stuff them with garlic and then rosemary. You don’t need the whole lamb to be decorated this way–the fatty top layer should be good enough. If there are any obvious entry holes in the meaty sides of the lamb, feel free to push a couple of garlic slivers in there, too.
- Slice a few onion rings and place them in the bottom of a cast iron pot. Put your lamb on top, and coat with olive oil, making sure to cover all sides.
- Put the potatoes in next, and coat them with olive oil, too. Finish by placing a few raw onion rings on top.
- Optional: To add even more flavor, cut a few slices of lemon and place on top of the lamb.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper, cover with a lid and bake for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, simply turn the oven down to 350º–no need to even open it. Let the roast cook for 40 minutes.
- After 40 minutes, remove the pot from the oven and take off the lid. Then place it back in the oven uncovered and bake for an additional 20 minutes. This last bit will give the top of the lamb and potatoes a little crispiness. (Don’t worry, not too much.)
- When the cooking time is up, remove the roast and let it rest for at least 10-15 minutes before digging in.
- Serve with gravy or mint sauce.
What a fabulous meal!!!
Thank you! I agree!