Eight-Spice Leg of Lamb

LEG OF LAMB ROASTED MEDIUM-RARE WITH A FRAGRANT LEMON AND SPICE RUB. PAIRED WITH LUXURIOUS, BODIED RED WINE REDUCTION. SIDES OF SAFFRON BROWN RICE PILAF, SAUTÉED BABY BELLAS, AND ROASTED GRAPE TOMATOES.

Easily a centerpiece holiday roast, leg of lamb can also be a pretty low maintenance treat of a dinner that looks and tastes like a whole day’s work. It has such a great natural flavor that even just salt and pepper turns out a delicious roast. We decided to mix together an earthy spice rub for a little extra kick and made a red wine sauce from the spicy onions that soaked in the pan drippings that rendered as the lamb roasted. While you could cut up a leg into two or three pieces to make it more manageable, we decided to roast it whole and enlist the help of some friends and their tummies! – Boo

Servings: 8-10 (main portions)
Difficulty: 

Oven: 400 F, 35 minutes; 350 F, 40 minutes

Lamb roast:

• 5 lb boneless leg of lamb, room temperature and rolled
• 4 tb olive oil
• 1 tb lemon juice
• Spices
  1 tb rosemary, minced
  2 ts paprika
  1.5 ts salt
  1.5 ts turmeric
  1.5 ts cumin
  1 ts cayenne pepper
  1 ts cinnamon
  1 ts black pepper
• Aromatics
  1 onion, sliced
  3 cloves garlic, minced

1. Pat meat dry. In a baking pan, drizzle olive oil and lemon juice over lamb.
2. Combine and rub spices over lamb. Spread aromatics around baking pan.
3. Roast on middle rack at 400 F for 35 minutes. Lower to 350 F, and roast to desired doneness, ~40 minutes for medium-rare (internal temperature 130 F).
4. Set aside lamb to rest for 10-15 minutes before serving. Optionally, remove onions and 1-2 tb rendered fat to a pan to prepare red wine reduction.

Red wine reduction:

• reserved onions and rendered fat
• Herbs and vegetables
  2 cloves garlic, sliced
  2 sprigs rosemary
  2 sprigs thyme
• Liquids
  1 c chicken or beef stock
  1.5 c red wine
• Seasoning
  0.5 tb sugar
  0.5 ts salt
  0.25 ts black pepper
• 3 tb butter

1. In a wide pan, saute reserved onions in rendered fat with herbs and vegetables over medium heat until fragrant, ~1 minute.
2. Add stock and red wine. Stir and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half.
3. Sieve sauce into a bowl, and return liquid to the saucepan. Discard sieved solids.
4. Stir and simmer until reduced by 33-50%.
5. Remove from heat, and stir in seasoning and butter.
6. Serve over lamb.