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Glazed Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary

posted by Liz Berg on April 19, 2014 (updated 3/21/24)

Studded with garlic and rosemary, this Glazed Leg of Lamb Recipe with marmalade is the perfect Easter entree! Dry brining the meat with salt the night before helps keep the meat tender and flavorful!

A Leg of Lamb Roast is a delicious way to celebrate any occasion. Buying a bone-in roast and studding it with garlic and rosemary provides even more flavor!

Glazed Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary on a cutting board.

Table of Contents hide

1 Why You Must Make

2 Temperatures for Roasting Lamb

3 Recipe Tips

4 Frequently Asked Questions

5 More Lamb Recipes You’ll Love:

6 Glazed Leg of Lamb Recipe with Garlic and Rosemary

Why You Must Make

My mom’s leg of lamb turned Bill into a fan!
This is a simple recipe that’s packed with flavor, but doesn’t require a lot of work.
It’s a delicious alternative to ham for Easter.

Growing up, we had no extended family in town to gather with for the holidays. Instead, we hung out and celebrated with close family friends on Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. The entree was always turkey, and we enjoyed every morsel. Sides were shaken up a bit as were desserts, but there was never a ham or leg of lamb on Easter.

This was rather odd for two Catholic families, but a huge turkey always provided dinner and plenty of leftovers for the 13 of us. Decades later we have developed our own traditions and tend to go with ham on Easter. Except now and again, we’ll roast a traditional leg of lamb. Last year, the star of the show was this Glazed Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary. Simple to prepare, with amazing results.

Temperatures for Roasting Lamb

The FDA recommends all lamb be cooked to an internal temperature of 145º. My family prefers their lamb medium-rare. Remember that the temperature will rise another 10º when you cover it with foil and give it a 10-minute resting time. The resting time helps redistribute the juices in your roast.

Rare: 115 to 120°F
Medium-rare: 120 to 125°F
Medium: 130 to 135°F
Medium-well: 140 to 145°F
Well-done: 150 to 155°F

Glazed Leg of Lamb with Garlic and Rosemary in a roasting pan.

Recipe Tips

Planning ahead will add the most flavor to your roast lamb. Here are a few pointers for making the tastiest leg of lamb.

Seasoning a day in advance, or dry brining, allows for the salt mixture to infuse into the meat. I do this with my Dry Brined Turkey, too.
The night before, rub the lamb well with salt and pepper to start the flavor infusion process early.
Set your lamb out on the counter about a half hour before roasting. This will get the chill off and allow for more even cooking.
Inserting pieces of garlic and rosemary into the roast before cooking helps to infuse flavor into the meat.
Roast on a rack so air can circulate on all sides of your roast lamb.
The glaze couldn’t be easier. Pick up a lovely jar of orange marmalade from the market and you’re set. Don’t start basting with the glaze immediately or it could burn.
Roast to a perfect medium-rare. This will take about 25 minutes per pound, but use a meat thermometer to ensure it’s cooked to your liking.
Tent the roast with foil for 10 minutes after you pull it out of the oven. The internal temperature will rise about 10 more degrees so keep this in mind when monitoring the temperature in the oven.

If you’ve never roasted lamb at home, this is a terrific recipe to try. It’s definitely a special occasion dish (be prepared for sticker shop when pricing lamb at the butcher shop). I hope your family will love it as much as mine. Happy Easter to all who celebrate!

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the Best Cooking Method for Leg of Lamb?

Roasting your lamb results in tender, delicious results. You can sear it first in hot oil for a flavorful crust, but it’s not necessary.

What Condiments Go Best with Lamb?

My mom always served lamb with mint jelly, but my husband prefers ketchup. Mint sauce, horseradish sauce, and even Bernaise sauce are delicious pairings.

More Lamb Recipes You’ll Love:

Balsamic Brown Sugar Lamb Chops from Grandbaby Cakes
Roasted Lamb London-Broil Style from A Family Feast
Moroccan Lamb Stew from The Noshery
Grilled Lamb Chops with Mustard, Rosemary and Garlic
Fudge Lamb
Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb
Plus more Entree Recipes

Stay in touch through social media @ Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest. Don’t forget to tag me when you try one of my recipes! And if you love the results, please give it a 5-star rating in the recipe card.

The Recipe:

Glazed Leg of Lamb Recipe with Garlic and Rosemary

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Yield 8 servings

Herbed leg of lamb with a marmalade glaze. Perfect for Easter.

Ingredients

6 pound leg of lamb, bone-in
4 garlic cloves, each cut into slivers
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ cup orange marmalade

Instructions

The night before serving, trim any excess fat and cut slits into fat pad on top of roast at 1½ inch intervals. Rub roast with 2 tablespoons of salt, trying to get some into the slits, then sprinkle with pepper. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
An hour before roasting, remove from refrigerator and insert garlic slivers and rosemary pieces into each slit. Allow roast to sit at room temperature. Preheat oven to 425º.
Roast for 20 minutes, then decrease temperature to 300º. Brush exposed roast with orange marmalade. Baste with more marmalade about every 20 minutes. Remove from oven when a thermometer inserted into the center of roast reaches 125º for rare, about another hour.
Cover with foil and allow to rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.

Notes

Cooking time varies depending on size of roast.

Total time does not include dry brining time.

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