I don’t care if you celebrate Easter or not, I’m posting this recipe for Easter because at least one of my readers will celebrate this holiday on Sunday. If not, why wouldn’t you cook a leg of lamb just because? It’s delicious, makes your house smell delicious, then YOU smell delicious. WINNING. I still smelled like lamb the next day after making this recipe. Maybe I should wash my hair more. Just an assumption.
Wanna know something cool? Of course you do. I think I officially learned how to properly squat. After 2 years of CrossFit, TWO DAMN YEARS, I think my body is finally understanding how to move properly. The other day I did a strength session with front squats then a wod with back squats and I actually felt it in my butt for the first time. Never, seriously never, have I felt squats in my butt. Fingers crossed my butt becomes increasingly more taut now that I know how to squat. My friend Sergio told me that we have to do something 5,000-7,000 times to become efficient at that movement. That’s probably why I’m so good at eating. My chewing mechanics must be unreal.
I made my Blueberry Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake the other day…but I made it with strawberries….it was stupid delicious. Thank you Laura for being a genius. You should try it. Seriously.
I named my leg of lamb. I’ve never made my own lamb, let alone a whole leg of lamb. So I had to make it less intimidating. So I named my leg. Henry. Isn’t that cute? Wow. I’m that guy right now. That creepy guy. I’m done.
Easter Weekend: Herb-Encrusted Leg of Lamb
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 2 hours
- Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes
- Yield: 6-8 1x
Ingredients
- 4–5lb leg of lamb, bone-in
- 2 heads of garlic, 1/4 inch of top end removed to show the individual cloves
- 2 sweet potatoes, diced
- 2 apples, cored and diced
- 1 large red onion, roughly chopped
- 5–6 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 cup almond flour/meal
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh tarragon, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper, to taste
- extra olive oil to top veggies with
Instructions
- Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.
- Pat the lamb dry with a paper towel. Sprinkle salt and pepper on it and let it sit for 30 minutes or so to come to room temperature.
- In a bowl, stir together the almond flour, all your chopped herbs, garlic powder, olive oil, and salt and pepper.
- Coat the lamb on all sides with the mustard.
- Use a basting brush to spread the herb mixture on the underside of the lamb. Place the lamb on a rack in a large roasting pan, fat side up. Pack the remaining herb mixture on the top and sides of the lamb.
- Place pan in the oven to roast for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.
- Then, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees, add your vegetables to the roasting pan around the lamb, sprinkle with olive oil and salt and pepper, and continue roasting until your thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat, away from the bone, registers 130 degrees for medium-rare, 1.25 to 1.5 hours.
- After the lamb is done cooking, place on cutting board and cover loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes.
- Carve and eat!
- Squeeze your roasted garlic on top of your lamb and veggies for extra flavor! And bad breath.
Notes
*If your vegetables aren’t quite cooked through (depending on the thickness of your sweet potato) leave them in the oven to roast while your lamb is resting.
**My TOTAL cook time for my lamb (which was 4.56lbs) was 2 hours and it was around medium, instead of medium rare like I would like.
Looks amazing!!! I love me some lamb. I will definitely be making this on Sunday!
good!! hope you like it!
I WISH my husband liked lamb…i would be all over this recipe…perhaps ill do a smaller chunk of lamb….or perhaps I’ll do a big one and eat it all myself anyways….decisions decisions…
Do it!! I made this entire leg of lamb for myself. no joke
That looks ridic! Husband and I will be eating our Easter dinner out of tupperware…his family is making exactly nothing that is paleo-friendly. Oh well, eating out of plastic is totally the way to be! P.S. We’re trying Crossfit for the first time on Saturday!
haha good for you guys Stephanie!! you will feel much better than them, I promise! Good luck with your CrossFit class!!! YAY!!!! proud of you 🙂
Thanks! I’m nervous and excited – will let you know how it goes!
I’ve only had lamb once!!! I loved it and need to buy and cook it for myself. I might have to do this for myself this weekend since I won’t be with family for easter.
You definitely should Katie!!
You’re too funny ya know that!? Thanks for the laugh, henry you’re a riot. Bahahaha n then u ate him! Poor guy!
Lol thanks Emily
Wow, looks unreal! Only thing better than me making it would be if you made it and I could just eat it, haha.
Just an idea for another time you do a roast. Instead of a rack in the pan to cook the lamb (or another roast) on, use celery as the rack. Lay it across the bottom of your roasting pan. This keeps the roast off the pan and the water in the celery keeps the meat moist and leaves more juice in the pan when Henry is done roasting. Straining the juice from the pan and adding almond flour and coconut milk will give you a great gravy. Salt and pepper to taste.
OMG I’m officially in love with you dude. Not even joking
haha, well then maybe you’ll let me buy you dinner next time your in so cal? yes, that seriously just happened.
say wha!? greg, you could a legit serial killer for all i know. and then I would die. THAT is what could just happen
wow, such the optimist.
So whats the key to using your butt during a squat!! I’m having that exact same problem 🙂
all I think about is knees out and chest up
Glad I’m not the only one who *still* feels like I can’t really squat correctly – there’s hope for me yet! 🙂
lol im so excited there is hope haha
Growing up I lived on a very small sheep farm and now I miss the fresh yummy lamb everyday. How do you do a proper squat then?
the two things that have helped me have been chest up and knees out. it just finally is clicking lol