Lamb Roast with Herbed Garlic Butter Potatoes is the holiday dinner that tastes + looks fabulous, while secretly being quite simple to make! Rub the lamb with olive oil + herbs and drench the potatoes in melted butter, garlic, and herbs and roast everything for the most flavorful dinner!
Thanks to our friends at the American Lamb Board for sponsoring this post! All opinions are my own.
I’m here today to introduce you to one of the easiest-yet-fanciest-looking holiday dishes you’ll ever meet! There’s only about 15-30 minutes of prep work involved, and the oven does the rest of the work!
How to Make Lamb Roast with Garlic Herb Butter Potatoes:
I love a one pan dish, and I know you do too – and that’s one of my favorite things about this recipe! The potatoes roast right in the same pan as the lamb! Slice them up, and toss them with melted butter, minced garlic, and herbs.
Next, mix together a little olive oil, and some more garlic + herbs. Score the roast all over with a sharp knife and rub this seasoning all over. Scoring the lamb helps the flavors to get inside the lamb for more flavor!
Lay the lamb roast fat-side up over the potatoes, and add a few sprigs of fresh rosemary and thyme. Roast this at a lower temperature – 350 degrees F – for about 2 hours for perfectly tender potatoes and a juicy, tender, flavorful roast!
Tips For Roasting Lamb:
As with any larger cuts of meat, I know that figuring out how long to cook it for can be tricky and you might not know how to approach it. A meat thermometer
is your best friend here! In fact, it’s really the only way to tell if your meat has been cooked long enough, so PLEASE do yourself a favor and buy one if you don’t already have one! Meat thermometers are inexpensive and an essential kitchen tool. (I even use mine to check the doneness of cinnamon rolls, bread, etc.)
We cooked a few lamb roasts to test the ideal cooking time for varying degrees of done-ness.
Medium Rare: If you prefer your meat a little more on the pinker side, cook the lamb to Medium Rare. Cook the roast for about 30 minutes per pound of the roast. Ours was about 3 and 1/2 lbs, and it reached 145 degrees F (which is considered Medium Rare) at about an hour and a half.
Medium: If you want your meat a little less on the pink side, cook it to Medium. Ours reached Medium at the two hour mark (160 degrees F) and it was still tender & juicy while being the perfect amount of done-ness for anyone who doesn’t like their meat on the pinker side.
Resting the Meat: Let the meat rest for 1-2 hours (but no longer) at room temp before cooking it – a cold piece of meat going into a hot oven can result in a tough piece of meat. And, let the roast rest for 15 minutes when it’s done cooking, before you slice it, so the juices can set – otherwise the juices will all run out right away, resulting in a dry piece of meat.
Slicing the Meat: Make sure to carve the meat agains the grain – this will keep the meat from being tough!
One final tip – make sure to buy locally-raised lamb meat! It’s fresher, more flavorful, and helps support American farmers. Use the lamb locator on American Lamb‘s website to help you find American-raised lamb! When you go to buy your lamb, don’t be afraid to ask the butcher for help selecting a piece if purchasing lamb is new to you. They’re usually very knowledgeable and can help you out quite a bit!
Happy cooking!
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Lamb Roast with Herbed Garlic Butter Potatoes
Ingredients
For the Potatoes
- 2 and 1/2 to 3 lbs yellow potatoes
- 8 TBSP salted butter, melted
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 and 1/2 tsp thyme
- 1 tsp parsley
- 1 and 1/2 tsp rosemary
- salt + pepper
For the Lamb
- 3 and 1/2 to 4 lb lamb leg I used bone-in, it's typically more flavorful to cook it with the bone in
- 1 TBSP olive oil
- 3 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 and 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 2 tsp fresh thyme, minced
- 2 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
Instructions
- Before you Begin: Let your piece of meat sit at room temp for an hour before cooking. You won't get the best results if you put a piece of cold meat into a hot oven.
- Prep the Potatoes: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Rinse and slice potatoes lengthwise into quarters (they'll be long, thin discs). I don't peel my potatoes but you can if the peel bothers you. Place the potatoes in the bottom of a large 9x13 pan and toss with the garlic, butter, and spices to coat the potatoes.
- Prep the Lamb: Score the lamb with a sharp knife all over (this helps the seasoning to get inside the piece of meat so it's flavorful throughout). Combine the olive oil, spices and garlic and rub this mixture all over the lamb.
- Roasting Times: You'll need to use a meat thermometer to check the doneness of your roast. If you want a medium rare piece of meat, cook for about 30 minutes per pound - ours was 3 and a half pounds and we cooked it for 1 hour 45 minutes, and the meat thermometer read 150 degrees F. If you want the lamb to be medium (a little less pink), cook it for about 2 hours, or until the meat thermometer reads 160 degrees.
- Serve: Let the cooked meat rest out of the oven for 15 minutes before slicing - this helps ensure that the juices are sealed in so they don't all run out, drying out the meat, when you cut it. Slice the meat against the grain for the tenderest pieces. Enjoy immediately!Store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6 days.
- A Note About Sourcing Lamb Meat: Be sure to buy locally-raised lamb meat! It's fresher, more flavorful, and helps support American farmers. Use the lamb locator on American Lamb's website to help you find American-raised lamb! When you go to buy your lamb, don't be afraid to ask the butcher for help selecting a piece if purchasing lamb is new to you. They're usually very knowledgeable and can help you out quite a bit.
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Leanne says
Such a beautiful presentation! For anyone looking to change it up this holiday season, this lamb roast looks like the way to go! And it’s a full meal with those garlic butter potatoes!
Danielle says
It’s been so long since I made lamb roast… Can’t wait to recreate your recipe – it looks delicious! And great choice of the side.
Stephanie Simmons says
Thanks, Danielle! Hope you love this recipe as much as we do 🙂