Greek Slow Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes

Melt-in-your-mouth tender and loaded with flavour, this Greek Slow Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes is a showstopper dish that’s perfect for the Holidays or Sunday dinner. The lamb is studded with fresh garlic and rosemary, slowly cooked to perfection in a citrusy and herbaceous broth, and paired alongside potatoes to soak up all the flavours. Served alongside a classic Greek salad, it’s healthy, Mediterranean comfort food at its finest that’s also super easy to prepare!

Ingredients Needed for the Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

• Bone-In Leg of lamb: For best results, use a bone-in leg of lamb because it will give you a more flavourful and juicier finished product than something with the bone already removed. If you prefer a fattier and richer cut of meat, you can substitute bone-in lamb shoulder, which is what I personally prefer.
• Extra-Virgin Olive Oil: The olive oil acts as a binder here, helping the seasoning to stick to the lamb.
• Garlic: I find it easiest to slice the garlic cloves in half lengthwise (the long way) because it makes it easier to stud the lamb.
• Fresh Rosemary: For best results and flavour, use fresh rosemary. If you can only use dry, then there is no need to place it into the incisions with the garlic. Instead, use it to season the top of the lamb with the salt and pepper.
• Chicken Broth: Homemade is best but Kettle and Fire is a close second if you need to use something store-bought.
• White Wine (optional): You don’t have to use white wine if you don’t want to. It will add some acidity and depth of flavour but you can also just substitute more broth instead.
• Dried Oregano: This will give the lamb and potatoes a delicious and quintessentially Greek and Mediterranean flavour.
• Yellow Mustard: It might sound odd, but yellow mustard is a commonly used ingredient in quite a few Greek dishes. It’s a secret to perfectly marinated souvlaki and often added to roasted potatoes. In this slow roast leg of lamb recipe, yellow mustard adds some tanginess and helps emulsify the broth, lemon juice and wine.
• Fresh Lemon Juice: You’ll get the best flavour from freshly-squeezed lemons, so skip the bottled stuff.
• Potatoes: I like to use peeled yellow-fleshed potatoes, such as Yukon Golds. The flesh gets very tender and the outsides get a little crispy as they roast alongside the lamb. I usually add the potatoes to the roasting tray towards the end of the lamb cooking process. That way, the potatoes don’t get overly soft and turn to mush.

Why You’ll Love This Greek Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

The magic of this Greek Slow Roasted Leg of Lamb lies in its simplicity and use of high-quality ingredients:

• Garlic and Herbs: A combination of garlic, rosemary and oregano infuses the lamb with a savoury and herbaceous flavour.
• Lemon and Olive Oil: These staples of Greek cuisine add brightness and richness, cutting through the lamb’s natural gaminess.
• Low and Slow Cooking: Roasting the lamb at a low temperature for several hours ensures tender, juicy meat that falls off the bone and melts in your mouth.
• Perfectly Roasted Potatoes: The potatoes cook alongside the lamb, absorbing its juices and flavours, creating a side dish that’s just as irresistible as the star of the show.
• Easy: The entire recipe comes together in a single roasting tray, which minimizes clean up and maximizes flavour. There’s also very little prep work to be done and most of the cooking time is hands-off!

Equipment Needed

• Large roasting pan
• Sharp knife making incisions into the lamb
• Small bowl for mixing the marinade
• Parchment paper and aluminum foil for tenting

Step-by-Step Instructions

1. Prepare the Lamb:
   • Pat the lamb dry with paper towels. Using a sharp knife, make small slits all over the lamb and insert the sliced garlic and rosemary into the slits. Massage the lamb with olive oil and season it generously with salt and pepper all over.
2. Let it Marinate:
   • For best results, let the salt and pepper dry brine the lamb in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight for maximum flavour. This will help the seasonings penetrate into the meat, flavouring it all the way to the bone.
3. Make the Sauce:
   • In a small bowl, combine the chicken broth, white wine, yellow mustard, dried oregano, lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
4. Roast the Lamb:
   • Preheat your oven or Traeger Grill to 350°F. Place the lamb in the centre of a roasting tray and pour the broth into the pan around the lamb.
   • Cover the lamb with wet parchment paper and seal the edges of the try tightly with foil. Roast the lamb for around 3.5 hours until the lamb is very tender and the edges can be easily shredded.
5. Prepare the Potatoes:
   • Remove the foil and parchment paper and add the potatoes. Toss them to coat in the sauce and place the tray back into the oven or Traeger grills for around 35 minutes or until the potatoes are fork-tender and the lamb is deeply browned, but not burnt.
6. Rest and Serve:
   • Remove the lamb from the oven, loosely tent it with foil to keep it warm, and let it rest for 20 minutes before carving. Serve with the potatoes and a Classic Greek Salad.

Substitution Ideas

• Lamb Substitutes: Try a bone-in pork shoulder or beef chuck roast for a similar slow-roasting experience.
• Herbs: You can add fresh thyme to the broth or omit the rosemary altogether. Use whatever you have, enjoy or is in season.
• Potatoes: Sweet potatoes or baby red potatoes are excellent alternatives.
• Broth: For a richer sauce, try substituting beef broth.

What To Serve with Slow Roast Leg of Lamb

• Greek Salad: You can’t go wrong with a classic village salad (Horiatiki) made with crisp cucumbers, juicy tomatoes, red onions, green bell peppers, Kalamata olives, and feta cheese dressed with olive oil and red wine vinegar.
• Tzatziki Sauce: A cool and creamy Tzaziki with cucumbers, garlic, and dill pairs very very well with roasted lamb.

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5 from 9 votes

Greek Slow Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes

Melt-in-your-mouth tender and loaded with flavour, this Greek Slow Roast Leg of Lamb with Potatoes is a showstopper dish that's perfect for the Holidays or Sunday dinner.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 4 hours hours 15 minutes minutes

Marinating Time: 6 hours hours

Total Time: 10 hours hours 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 8 servings

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 1 bone-in leg of lamb, 5 to 6 pounds
• ▢ 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• ▢ 8 cloves of garlic, peeled and sliced in half lengthwise
• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• ▢ Kosher salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste
• ▢ 2 cups chicken broth, plus more as needed
• ▢ 1 cup white wine, optional, substitute more chicken broth
• ▢ Juice of 1 lemon
• ▢ 1 tablespoon yellow mustard
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• ▢ 4 yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into large wedges

Instructions 

• Rinse the lamb well under cold water and pat it very dry with paper towel. Using a small knife, make 16 1-inch deep incisions across the top side (skin side) of the lamb leg. Stuff each incision with ½ of a garlic clove and a small amount of rosemary. Drizzle both sides of the lamb with olive oil and massage evenly to coat. Generously season all over with kosher salt and black pepper. For best results, set the lamb onto a sheet pan lined with a wire rack and refrigerate uncovered for 6 hours to overnight.
• Preheat your oven or Traeger Grill to 350F.
• Transfer the lamb to a large roasting tray. In a separate bowl, combine the chicken broth, white wine (if using), lemon juice, mustard and oregano and whisk to combine. Pour the mixture around the lamb. Cover the lamb with a sheet of wet parchment paper and seal the tray tightly with aluminum foil. Transfer the roasting pan to the oven or Traeger and cook for around 3.5 hours or until the lamb is very tender and can be easily shredded with a fork. If the lamb is still firm after 3.5 hours, reseal the foil and continue cooking, checking on it every 30 minutes.
• Remove the aluminum foil and parchment paper and baste the lamb with the broth mixture. Add the potatoes to the roasting pan and toss them to coat in the juices. Return the uncovered roasting pan to the oven or Traeger Grill, raise the heat to 425F and cook until the lamb is deeply browned and the potatoes are fork-tender, around 35 minutes. If the broth evaporates too much, add more as needed (the rate of evaporation will depend on the size of your roasting tray). If the lamb starts to burn, cover it with the parchment paper and foil (the rate of browning will depend on the strength of your oven or grill).
• Transfer the roast lamb and potatoes to a platter and pour the pan gravy into a separate jar. Let the lamb rest 10 minutes before serving and let the gravy settle for 5 minutes before skimming off excess fat with a ladle.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 342kcal, Carbohydrates: 17g, Protein: 39g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 115mg, Sodium: 358mg, Potassium: 920mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 22IU, Vitamin C: 18mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 4mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About the Author

Hi, i’m Ronny! In 2013, after a lifetime of struggling with my weight and body issues, I rehabilitated my relationship with food, lost over 40 pounds and completely changed my life.

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