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Total Time:
2 hrs 10 mins
For the lamb
- 75 g (3oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
- Large handful fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Small handful fresh mint leaves, finely sliced
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 medium egg
- 50 g (2oz) pitted black or green olives, sliced
- 2 kg (4½lb) whole leg of lamb (on the bone)
- About 5 fresh rosemary sprigs
- 1 large onion, sliced into rounds (leave skin on)
For the gravy
- 3 Tbsp. flour
- 200 ml (⅓ pint) white or red wine
- 300 ml (½ pint) chicken stock
- Step 1
Preheat oven to 200°C (180°C fan) mark 6. Make the stuffing. In a large bowl, mix the breadcrumbs, parsley, mint, lemon zest, garlic, egg, olives and some seasoning. Set aside.
- Step 2
Lay the lamb leg skin-side down on a board. Cut halfway down into the leg along the bone so the meat opens out, creating a pocket. Pack stuffing inside the pocket, fold the meat over and tie in place with string, securing the rosemary stalks to the outside of the lamb. Put onion slices into a roasting tin that will just hold the lamb. Lay the lamb on top (skin-side up) and season lightly.
- Step 3
Roast for 1½hr for pink meat (or cook for longer/shorter as you prefer). Lift lamb on to a board, cover with foil and rest for 30-45min.
- Step 4
Make gravy while the lamb is resting. Spoon off and discard most of the fat from the tin and put over medium hob heat. Whisk in flour and cook, whisking, for 1min. Gradually whisk in wine, then stock. Bubble, whisking occasionally, for a few mins until thickened. Strain and check seasoning. Serve.
Have a look at some of our other roast leg of lamb recipes:
Roast spring lamb with fresh mint dressing
Roast spiced leg of lamb
Rosemary garlic lamb
Leg of Lamb
Easter rainbow cake
Hot cross buns
Mother's Day recipes
Get ahead
Prepare to end of step 2 up to 3hr ahead. Cover with foil and chill. Complete recipe to serve.
Per Serving:
- Calories: 475
- Fibre: 1 g
- Total carbs: 13 g
- Sugars: 2 g
- Total fat: 27 g
- Saturated fat: 9 g
- Protein: 42 g
An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
