A spring herb butter makes the lamb fresh and lively. Be sure to reserve 1/4 cup of the butter for flavoring theGarland of Spring Vegetables.
Ingredients
Makes 8 servings
Herb butter:
For lamb:
For herb butter:
Step 1
Stir butter, tarragon, mint, tarragon vinegar, and 2 teaspoons coarse salt in medium bowl until well blended. Transfer 1/4 cup herb butter to small bowl and reserve for vegetables. DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 day ahead.Cover both bowls and chill. Bring medium bowl of herb butter to room temperature before using.
For lamb:
Step 2
Using small sharp knife, make 1-inch-deep slits all over lamb. Insert 3 or 4 orange peel strips into each slit. DO AHEAD:Can be made 1 day ahead.Enclose lamb in plastic wrap and chill.
Step 3
Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Heat oil in very large skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle lamb with coarse salt and pepper. Add lamb to skillet; cook until brown on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to roasting pan. Brush with 2 tablespoons herb butter. Roast lamb 15 minutes. Brush again with 2 tablespoons herb butter.
Step 4
Reduce temperature to 350°F. Continue to roast lamb until thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 135°F to 140°F for medium-rare, about 55 minutes. Transfer lamb to platter; reserve pan. Tent lamb loosely with foil; let rest 30 minutes.
Step 5
Spoon fat off any juices in roasting pan. Place pan over 2 burners on high heat. Add wine and broth and bring to boil, whisking to scrape up browned bits. Boil until sauce is reduced to 2 cups, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining herb butter and grated orange peel. Season sauce to taste with coarse salt and pepper.
Step 6
Spoon vegetables around lamb on platter; garnish with fresh herb sprigs. Serve with sauce.
How would you rate Roast Leg of Lamb with Tarragon-Mint Butter?
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Reviews (17)
Back to TopI love how the orange flavor infuses the lamb. It was a hit for our Easter.
Sugarshoc
Brooklyn, NY
4/25/2011
this was my first leg of lamb complete with bone and it was a keeper. also made spring vegetables as recommended but found them to be a bit bland. lamb was superb. I did not use any butter after the two bastings as I did not want the sauce to be greasy. Will definitely make again.
Anonymous
4/7/2010
I made this with a lamb leg half the size indicated but kept everything the same including cook time and it came out perfectly. The orange was an interesting flavor dynamic, but next time I may just do garlic instead. The wine sauce was a bit much by itself when I tasted it but was excellent drizzled on everything. I had never roasted anything of this magnitude before but it came out wonderfully. The tarragon/mint flavor was perfect.
Anonymous
portland, maine
4/5/2010
I just made this, and most of the menu for my Easter dinner. Yum. I do not normally eat or work with red meat, so I was nervous, but it came out looking and tasting beautiful. The butter was great, the sauce was delicious, and now I'm looking for reasons to make it all over again!
aubles
KCMO
4/5/2010
While the herbed butter was quite good, the wine sauce it got added to was not. I used a good Cab Sauv and homemade chicken stock and it wasn't enough to save the sauce - the addition of the butter mixture and orange peel made it unpalatable. Fortunately, there were several tbsp of the herbed butter left to slather on the cooked lamb and I discarded the sauce. The butter is a keeper, the sauce is a fail.
DagnyTaggart
4/3/2010
I loved the tarragon/mint flavours with the lamb and veggies. I left out the orange because it didn't appeal to me. Might substitute lemon for the orange next time.
Anonymous
1/17/2010
Excellent. The butter makes the dish, and I followed the advice and agree 100 percent with the other commenter(s) who advised increasing the amount of butter for the vegetables. The wine sauce was tremendous as well.
james0802
Golden Beach, FL
12/27/2009
Very good. We couldn't find tarragon vinegar. I soaked white vinegar with an equal part of tarragon, about 1/4 cup each, for 3 hours (the longer the better). Bruise the tarragon first before adding to the vinegar.
Carli2s
12/22/2009
I made this per the recipe and it was excellent. In fact, I also had to make a chicken for the non-red meat crowd and used the same herb butter rubbed under the skin for that. It was also excellent. And veggies were great with this butter! Will definitel make again.
Anonymous
Arlington
11/9/2009
I used a boneless leg of lamb from Costco and roasted according to the packages estimate for time. I thought the butter was great and would make more for the veggies. The menu was fantastic!
caponironi
tempe, az
8/13/2009
I made this for easter dinner (and most of the menu) and it was great. I used slices of garlic instead of the organge peel, which gave even more flavour. The herb butter was a hit with my guests. I would use the butter recipe with vegetables anytime.
Anonymous
Toronto
4/15/2009
This was very nice combination, and the lamb looked great. I really didn't get a whole lot of the orange flavor though. The butter mixture used with the paired recipe for carrots, turnips was very good.
Anonymous
Arlington, VA
4/13/2009
I made this for Easter and it was wonderful. So easy to do and came out amazing. Everyone was impressed, but really it was simple. I used white wine vinegar in the butter. I also used the butter for tossing asparagus to serve with it. My cut was a shank and it was the perfect size for our dinner. I would definitely make this again, even just for a family Sunday dinner, no special occasion needed! You could really taste the flavors of the orange, mint and tarragon, even though they were subtle. I used a merlot in the sauce and it was wonderful.
laribrook
atlanta
4/12/2009
Don't worry about tarragon vinegar, the white wine vinegar or even cider vinegar will work as well. I always prefer an american zinfandel with leg of lamb, something big and full bodied. Ravenswood Lodi is always good at a reasonable price point.
rosebrien
orlando,FL
4/11/2009
As a sub, I am planning to use red wine vinegar plus fresh tarragon. And definitely serving some california cabs.
modernorganic
seattle,wa
4/10/2009