I remember discussing roasting with a British friend when we lived in Andorra. She said that she liked to put a pan with sliced potatoes in the bottom of the oven to catch the drippings.
I gave her a blank look…. I couldn’t really comprehend what she was saying.
She repeated it, and said the oven was less of a mess that way.
She put the roasts right on the rack in the oven – no pan.
I told her that I put the roast on a rack that fits in a pan and the pan on the rack in the oven.
She thought that was very strange – and how did the roast get nicely browned?
I think of her every time I clean my oven, which is a few times a year rather then a few times a week.
My farmer butcher cut the leg so it fits better in a roasting pan….
Click here to Pin Leg of Lamb, Roasted on Potatoes
PrintLeg of Lamb, Roasted on Potatoes
The lamb is tender, flavorful and the potatoes take on the flavor, cooking down to a wonderful creaminess.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 150 minutes
- Total Time: 2 hours 45 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Lamb
- Method: Roasting
Ingredients
- 1 leg of lamb, 48oz, (1.5kg) from a 5 – 7 lb (2.5 – 3.5 kilo) leg
- 6 medium potatoes (16oz, 1kg) potatoes, thinly sliced
- 2 large onions, thinly sliced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 dried tsp rosemary
- 1 dried tsp thyme
- 1 dried tsp oregano
- 1/2 dried tsp garlic powder
- 1 tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Put potatoes and onions in a large saucepan.
- Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Stir so they don’t stick.
- Cook for 2 minutes.
- Pour the potatoes, onions and broth into a baking dish large enough to hold them and the lamb easily.
- Smooth the potatoes/onions out, cover with foil and bake at 400F (200C) for 10 minutes.
- Mix the herbs and garlic.
- Rub the oil on the lamb and sprinkle with the herbs mix.
- Remove potatoes from oven.
- Remove foil and put the lamb on top of the potatoes.
- Return to oven, uncovered, and roast for another 30 minutes.
- Turn oven down to 300F (150C) and roast for another 12 – 15 minutes per pound.
- Lamb should be 125 – 135F (52 – 57C) Pink is best.
- Remove lamb from potatoes.
- Cover potatoes tightly and lamb loosely.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before carving.
- Layer sliced lamb on the potatoes and serve from the baking dish.
Notes
To get a good leg of lamb a meat thermometer is invaluable. If possible, get the kind that has a probe into the meat with the display staying outside the oven.
A leg of lamb normally weighs 5 – 7 lb (2.5 – 3.5 kilo) To calculate the nutrition info for 6 servings I used 48oz, (1.5kg) which is a generous serving. There will be leftovers – see Recipe Index
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 667
- Sugar: 4.8 g
- Sodium: 320 mg
- Fat: 35.5 g
- Saturated Fat: 14.5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 39 g
- Fiber: 6.2 g
- Protein: 46.5 g
- Cholesterol: 155.3 mg
Keywords: leg of lamb, roast lamb, roast potatoes
Regarding the leftovers…. Lamb Pot Pie or Lamb, Spinach, & Feta Phyllo Pie
I hate cleaning my oven.
There is no reason why I should hate it – it’s a self-cleaning oven and I just have to set the timer and let it do its thing.
But, like most things here, the task is a little fussy.
I have to wipe it out first, and take the racks as well as the side rails that hold them out. The oven has to be empty.
When it’s done I have to wipe it out again, then use a cleaner on the glass and re-attache the side rails
I don’t remember doing all that in the U.S.
In Andorra my house cleaner took care of that without me ever knowing.
I miss that….
Oddly enough I have a nice Italian Franke oven in this very weird Moroccan apartment. But it’s total hit and miss using it as I can find no English instructions on line.
Finding the instructions to any appliance is tricky – the model numbers are different between countries. I have 3 sets that are close for my oven but all slightly different lol
You know, if my husband had had the chance to try this lamb, he might be a lamb lover now. As it is, he’ll never eat it after the whole mutton fiasco. This looks wonderful.
I’ve heard/read of lots of people who put their meats directly on the rack in the oven. I could never do that. I’m like you. While my oven is relatively easy to clean and very similar to yours, the worst part is finding a large enough…anything to clean the racks in. I don’t care to do them in the tub which is really the only thing big enough to clean them in because then, I’m scrubbing the tub after which is just another chore I don’t like to do. Because of my knee, I can no longer kneel for more than a minute or two and the cycle gets worse as my back does bending over. *sigh* So, like you, my roasts go on a rack in a pan. It’s just easier and they roast beautifully. I’m all for less work cleaning up.
I don’t like mutton. I was a little concerned about this lamb as it was bigger than usual…. Still good
I take the racks outside, put them on the rocks and spray with oven cleaner. I get them ‘mostly’ clean and that’s good enough.
I’m the one that puts meat in a pan – and then the pan on foil on the rack just so I don’t have to clean as often