Serves about 10 hungry guests, with leftovers for sandwiches.
Ingredients
1 bone-in leg of lamb, trimmed, about 8 pounds
8 cloves garlic, sliced
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
2 teaspoons fresh rosemary, chopped, plus a few extra stalks
1/2 cup water, or more as needed
Directions
Remove lamb from refrigerator about 2 hours before roasting. It should be at room temperature when it goes into the oven.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Make 24 small slits all over the roast; stuff them with garlic slivers. Mix together salt, pepper and herbs, and rub all over the roast. Rub with olive oil.
Place the lamb in a roasting pan just large enough to hold it. Roast for about 60-90 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the roast reads 125 (for rare) or 130 degrees (for medium rare). (Cooking times will vary depending on your oven.) Check roast halfway through and add a little water to the pan if necessary to keep juices from burning. Toss remaining rosemary stalks around roast.
If the lamb needs more browning, continue to cook for up to 30 more minutes. If it’s brown enough but hasn’t reached the desired internal temperature, reduce oven to 300 degrees and continue roasting. (Temperature will continue to rise after roast is removed from oven.)
Remove lamb from oven and place on cutting board. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and let sit at least 20 minutes before carving.
While roast is resting, pour off all but a couple of tablespoons of fat from the pan, then place roasting pan on stovetop over high heat. Add water and deglaze pan, scraping up brown bits into the liquid. Reduce liquid by half, then strain and skim off any fat.
Carve lamb at the table, and serve with au jus or your favorite mint or mustard sauce.
