Leg of Lamb with Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms

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In honor of the first day of Spring today, we had a leg of lamb with roasted veggies and a glass of mead. Absolutely one of my favorite dishes ever. 

The lamb leg recipe was adapted from "Boneless Leg of Lamb" at http://startcooking.com/how-to-cook-a-leg-of-lamb. Serves 6-7.


Leg of Lamb

Ingredients:
  • 1 (3-5 lb.) leg of lamb, for reference with serving sizes, ours was 3.77 lb. and semi-boneless
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1 tsp. thyme
  • 1 tsp. rosemary
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • juice of 2 lemons
  • 1/4 cup Marsala wine
  • 1 tbsp. red wine vinegar
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 tsp. honey
  • 1-2 cups chicken (or beef if you prefer) broth (enough to cover the leg of lamb in liquid)
Directions:
  1. In a gallon ziploc bag, combine the oregano, thyme, rosemary, olive oil, lemon juice, wine, red wine vinegar, salt, and honey. Mix thoroughly. 
  2. Add the lamb into the bag and enough chicken broth for the meat to be completely covered in liquid with as much air pushed out of the bag as possible. You want liquid to be surrounding the lamb...though the bag doesn't have to be completely full of liquid (think vacuum-sealed bag...)
  3. Marinate overnight. If not left out in the sink, remove the lamb from the fridge at least 1 hour prior to cooking. You want the lamb to be room temperature when it goes in the oven. 
  4. Preheat the oven to 450F. Cook the lamb at this temperature for 20 minutes. Then turn the heat down to 325F and cook for about another hour [until the lamb's internal temperature reaches 145-160F (145F = medium rare, 160F=medium)]. 
  5. Let the leg of lamb rest for about 20 minutes before slicing into it (this time will also allow for any stubborn, not-yet-cooked carrots to finish off alone in the oven if need be). 
NOTE: I usually prep my veggies either before the lamb starts cooking or during the 20 minutes it's at the higher temperature. I then add the veggies in with the lamb (the two pans placed underneath the roasting pan the leg of lamb is in) when the temperature is turned down.

Roasted Carrots and Mushrooms: 

Ingredients:
  •  2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 lb. Mushrooms, washed and stems removed
  • 2 tbsp. fat (ghee, butter, beef tallow, olive oil, etc.)
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. thyme
Directions:
  1. Prep veggies (wash, chop) and place in TWO 13x9 inch baking dishes (I usually do carrots in one, mushrooms in the other as the mushrooms cook more quickly). 
  2. Melt the fat and drizzle over the vegetables. Sprinkle with salt, oregano, and thyme.
  3. Place in a 325F oven. The mushrooms should take about 20 minutes to cook and the carrots will take about an hour. Stir the veggies every 15 minutes or so to prevent them sticking to the pan. 
  4. The mushrooms get darker and release liquid when they're done and the carrots are ready when they're no longer crunchy (fork easily slides in/out of them). 

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