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::NOTE:: While we now eat mostly vegan ‘cept the occasional shrimp or box of dainty handful of Cheez-It’s, I HAD to post this recipe! Besides the fact that I had already had the post written in November, It is an amazingly delicious dish! I luckily took a few photos from last years meal And while WE will not be enjoying it this year, there’s no reason that you can’t!

Be on the look out for this years Holy Land Inspired Vegan Easter Feast!!

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Trying to come up with a menu to prepare for my first Easter dinner in 2008 and decided to make a leg of lamb…how adventurous of me, I know. 🙂 I figured, I love the gyros my mom makes, why not try THIS beast!!

I did a bit of research to see what pairs well with lamb and came up with a few and tried this marinade. I, as well as my guests, were completely BLOWN AWAY! I had outdone myself! It was so warm, pink, and juicy on the inside, while crisp and flavorful on the outside. I have since made it every Easter and always pair it with the same sides that I initially made it with, as they complimented the lamb so well.

I serve this with Asparagus Sautéed in Olive oil and garlic; Spinach and Strawberry Salad with toasted Almonds and Feta; Roast Cubes of Squash, Parsnips, and Carrots; Homemade Yeast Rolls; and a big bodied Shiraz.

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Marinade

  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 2 cup white wine
  • 10 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 teaspoons of fresh thyme
  • 5 Tbsp of fresh chopped rosemary
  • 5 leaves of mint
  • 1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
  • 2 Tbsp olive oil
Blend in blender of magic bullet

Lamb Roast

  • 1 (16-pound) leg of lamb, bone-in
  • Marinade
  • Salt
  • Pepper

1 Place lamb and marinade into a plastic bag. Plane inside  Marinate for several hours, or overnight, in the refrigerator. Remove the lamb, still in its marinade bag, from the refrigerator at least an hour before putting in the oven to help bring the lamb closer to room temperature before roasting.

2 Preheat oven to 425°F.

3  Remove the lamb roast from its marinade bag. Pat the marinade off the lamb with paper towels. Sprinkle with salt and pepper remembering at this point there has been no salt added to the marinade! Place in roasting pan fat side up, so while the lamb is cooking the fat will melt into the meat. Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the roast, not touching the bone if your roast is bone-in. drippings. I sometimes put a bit of water in (1/2 cup) so the melting fat doesn’t burn.

4 Roast at 425°F for 25 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 300°F and roast an additional hour (for a 6 pound roast), about 10 minutes per pound. If you are cooking a roast bone-in, it will need a longer cooking time than a boneless roast.

Cook to about 130°F for a pretty pink med rare. DONT COOK TIL DONE – YUCKY AND DRY!!! Tent roasting pan with foil and let it sit for at least 20 min so that it can absorb all of the juices.

5 Pour the juice and drippings into a gravy boat or bowl with ladle to serve atop the meat.

Now if I could only figure out a way to veganize THIS!