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Looking for an easy and elegant main course for your holiday table? Roasted leg of lamb with baby potatoes and fennel fits the bill for Easter or Passover dinner.
This juicy roasted leg of lamb is equally appropriate for Easter dinner or the Passover Seder. To keep it simple, I opted for a boneless leg of lamb that my butcher had all nicely trimmed and tied for me.
The herb gremolata (an herb/garlic/lemon zest condiment) is slathered all over the lamb before roasting which gives it a glorious golden brown crust and tons of flavor.
I added baby potatoes and sliced fennel to the roasting pan for an easy side and love the way they absorb all that flavor from the lamb and the rub.
Roasted leg of lamb with potatoes and fennel is as easy as it is elegant, especially if you purchase it already trimmed and tied. I start it off on a high heat to get a nice crust, then reduce it for the remainder of the cooking time.
My family prefers lamb medium rare – medium so I cook it to an internal temperature of 130 degrees and then let it rest for 15 mins before slicing (the internal temperature will rise an additional 5-10 degrees while it rests).
The result is light pink roast, with a caramelized crust and wonderfully tender slices.
Tips for success
- Ask you butcher to trim and tie your lamb for you to make this as easy as possible.
- A food processor makes blending the gremolata a snap!
- Cut the potatoes and fennel pieces to the same size so they cook evenly.
- Don’t forget to rest the roast so the juices evenly distribute before slicing and serving.
More lamb dishes
Looking for an easy and elegant main course for your holiday table? Roasted leg of lamb with baby potatoes and fennel fits the bill for Easter or Passover dinner.
- 3 lb boneless leg of lamb, trimmed and tied
- 5 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 Tbsp lemon zest
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 lbs baby potatoes, halved or quartered (so they are uniform in size)
- 1 bulb fennel, fronds trimmed, cored, halved and then thinly sliced
- salt and pepper
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Remove the lamb from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room temperature (at least 1 hour).
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Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
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In a small food processor combine the garlic, herbs, zest, salt, pepper and olive oil and process until smooth. Place the lamb in a shallow roasting pan and cover completely with the herb mixture. Rub the mixture all over the lamb.
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Place the lamb in a roasting pan and roast, uncovered, for 15 mins.
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While the lamb is roasting, cut the potatoes and the fennel. After the lamb has roasted for 15 mins at 450 degrees, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and scatter the potatoes and fennel around the lamb, tossing well with the herb mixture on the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Return the pan to the oven and cook until an internal temperature of 130 degrees is reached (medium rare), about 45 mins.
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Remove the pan from the oven and place the lamb on a ridged cutting board and cover with foil. Allow the lamb to roast for at least 15 mins before slicing. Give the potatoes and fennel a good toss and return to the oven for a few mins if needed until they reach your desired degree of doneness (I like golden brown veg).
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Remove the butchers twine, slice the lamb and serve on a platter with the roasted vegetables.
- Ask you butcher to trim and tie your lamb for you to make this as easy as possible.
- A food processor makes blending the gremolata a snap!
- Cut the potatoes and fennel pieces to the same size so they cook evenly.
- Don’t forget to rest the roast so the juices evenly distribute before slicing and serving.
Update Notes: This post was originally published in March 2017 but was republished with tips in April 2020.
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Lauren Jacobson says
Hi Cathy
Your blog is just a feast for the eyes and enrichment for the soul at the same time. (Its also a dream to navigate.).
Of course, I particularly loved reading your recollections about Passover! So special….beyond words. You will all be sorely missed this year. Travel safely
Cathy says
Thanks so much Lauren. Means so much to hear. We missed sharing the holiday with you all and we need to get together soon. xoxo
Lauren Jacobson says
Can’t wait to try this recipe
Looks amazing
Cathy says
Thanks Lauren! Best part is it’s easy too!
Jodie Mo says
Oh, this looks so delicious. I have never cooked a leg of lamb before, it’s always freaked me out a little (not a whole lot of lamb down here in the South) but I love to eat lamb! I need a good Easter dinner recipe so this may be it!
BTW, have lots of fun in NOLA! It’s such a beautiful city and the food is ah-mazing. My favorite thing to eat there is Eggs Sardou which I believe you can find at Antoine’s (and a few other places I’m sure).
Cathy says
Thanks Jodie! We had the best time in NOLA and ate our way through the city, but believe it or not never had the eggs sardou at Antoines! Next time!
maria says
This looks gorgeous. I LOVE lamb and i love it when it’s nice and simple gremolata mmmm
Cathy says
Thanks Maria. I agree, a simple gremolata or marinade is all you need with a nice cut of lamb.
Milena | craftbeering.com says
You are so talented. This looks perfectly cooked and to capture ‘perfectly cooked’ in a photograph is elusive at least in my opinion. Great job love stopping by!
Cathy says
You’re so sweet Milena! Thanks so much for your kind words!
Lynn | The Road to Honey says
This looks absolutely stunning Cathy. Being Persian, my hubby is a huge lamb fanatic so saying that he would be thrilled to see this show up on the table is a huge understatement. As for us. . .well, we’ll be spending Easter in Boston as the hubby will have just returned from Japan. Perhaps I should be the superstar wife and surprise him with this beauty.
P.S. Have fun in Nola.
Cathy says
Thanks so much Lynn. Lamb was a favorite of my family growing up. We would grill it all the time during the summer. Hope you had a great Easter!
Cindy says
Awww, sounds like the trip will be awesome, but you will be missing the family and those awesome traditions you named. I am sure they will be missing your treats too this year, but it will make next year that much sweeter for you and yours. Nola will be amazing. Enjoy – You deserve it.
Cathy says
Thanks Cindy! It was a fantastic trip and one that we’ll all remember for sure.
Debbie says
I made this last night. Delicious! I had to omit the mint since I couldn’t find any, but other than that I made the recipe as written. I removed the lamb at 130 degrees and let it rest 15 minutes while the veggies finished cooking. It was perfectly cooked to medium rare when we sliced it. The flavors were wonderful. This is a keeper.
Cathy says
So nice to hear from you Debbie and happy you enjoyed the lamb. This is a spring favorite for the holidays in my house and never disappoints. Thanks for taking the time to share!
Gerri Nesler says
I made this for Easter Dinner and followed the recipe except for the fennel which we don’t care for. The lamb came out juicy and flavorful and the potatoes were perfectly cooked. I made pan gravy with the drippings and oven roasted some asparagus after the lamb came out of the oven. So good!
Cathy Roma says
Sounds delicious! Hope you had a lovely Easter!
Beck & Bulow says
I Remove the elastic due to latex allergies, rinse the lamb and follow your recipe. Rolled the meat around a twig of marjoram. I added hickory bacon on the exposed meat just for fun and held that in place with toothpicks. (That is called larding.) I used an old steel bread pan as it was the right shape to keep the roast together a bit. and please visit us for thanksgiving meat delivery: https://www.beckandbulow.com