Spring Leg of Lamb Recipe with Herbs de Provence for Easter

Spring Leg of Lamb Recipe with Herbs de Provence

This is an extremely simple bone-in leg of lamb recipe that you can make for your spring time group meals and dinner parties. This dish has a solid shock and awe factor when you present it at the table. The trick to this dish is using very fresh lamb , high quality herbs and the rest is simple technique.

High-Quality ingredients make a difference

Spring Leg of Lamb Recipe – Meat Cut

I purchased a front leg portion from Electric City Butcher at the new 4^th Street market. Michael Puglisi butchers all his meats by hand and from whole animals. Getting to know your local butcher always provides the best cuts of meat; they are more expensive but the difference in flavor and tenderness is truly remarkable.

Electric City Butcher – Michael Puglisi

I used an Herbs de Provence seasoning on the meat. Herbs de Provence is a blend of savory, marjoram, rosemary, thyme, and oregano, and lavender. This blend is perfect for enhancing the natural flavor of the meat and the flavor tastes like spring to me.

Ingredients Bone-In Leg of Lamb in Herbs de Provence

Lamb

Leg of Lamb (any size portion). Front leg for two people, Back leg for 4-6 people.
1 tablespoon soy sauce
6 Tablespoons Herbs de Provence
3 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons olive oil

Potatoes

2 pounds fingerling potatoes (preferably mixed color variety, blue, red , white), Largest potatoes cut lengthwise or in half
2 small parsnips, diced
2 small endives, chopped
1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Bulb garlic (peel, roughly chopped)
1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Heaping tablespoon fresh rosemary (de-stemmed
1 Tablespoon, Thyme
1 Teaspoon, Kosher salt
1 Teaspoon, ground pepper
2 Sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh Thyme

Method for Bone-In Leg of Lamb in Herbs de Provence

Prep the lamb

Allow leg of lamb to rest at least 1 hour at room temperature. Raising the temperature of the meat will ensure an even cook and a much better results. Apply dry herbs while lamb is resting at room temperature.

Spring Leg of Lamb Recipe – Coat Leg in Herbs de Provence

Using your clean hands, rub the lamb with the soy sauce (provides moisture for herbs to stick and an umami / salt flavor layer.
Cover the lamb generously with the dry seasoning, allow to rest while prepping potatoes. Allow to rest the remainder of the two hours.
Warm oven to 350 degrees.

Prep the Potatoes

Spring Leg of Lamb – Prepare potatoes in a roasting pan

Place potatoes and parsnips into a roasting pan.
Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes.
Sprinkle the chopped garlic evenly over the potatoes and parsnips.
Drizzle olive oil over the potatoes.
Sprinkle the herbs and seasonings over the potatoes.

Final Assembly and Roasting

Place fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs in the center of the pan, right on top of the potatoes. The Lamb will be resting above these herbs.
Place rack in the roasting pan, right over the potatoes and then place the lamb on the rack. If you don’t have a roasting rack. place the lamb right on top of the fresh herb sprigs.

Spring Leg of Lamb Recipe – Place Lamb on Roasting Rack

3. Drizzle the lamb with the reserved olive oil.

4. Loosely tent the lamb with aluminum foil.

Spring Leg of Lamb Recipe – Tent the Lamb with Foil

5. Cook the lamb at 350 degrees Fahrenheit until the meat thermometer reads 130 degrees , about 1-2 hours depending on size.

6. When the temperature gets close to 110 degrees, or about 20 minutes before it is done, remove the foil tent to allow a crust but prevent herbs from burning.

7. Remove lamb from oven and transfer to a cutting board, allow to rest for 15 minutes, the meat will continue to cook internally reaching a goal temperature of 140 degrees for medium-rare. Keep the thermometer in the lamb until ready to carve.

Spring Leg of Lamb Recipe – Out of the oven

Plating and Presentation

Spring Leg of Lamb Recipe – Served

1. Garnish the cutting board with the roasted potatoes and herb sprigs

2. Hand carve at the table. Allow your guests to serve their own meat and potatoes straight from a wooden cutting board. Just like in the French countryside.