Favorite Recipe

Grilled Leg of Lamb

This month the Romgi and I used our allowance to buy a butterflied leg of lamb. Let me tell you, it was a brilliant idea. Here’s the recipe we used, courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa at the Food Network:

Ingredients

2 pints plain yogurt
1/2 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing grill
1 lemon, zested
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (3 lemons)
3/4 cup fresh whole rosemary leaves (2 large bunches)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (5-pound) butterflied leg of lamb (9 pounds bone-in)

Directions

Combine the yogurt, olive oil, lemon zest and juice, rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large non-reactive bowl. Add the lamb, making sure it is covered with marinade. Marinate in the refrigerator, covered, overnight or for up to 3 days.

Bring the lamb to room temperature. Prepare a charcoal grill with hot coals. Scrape the marinade off the lamb, wipe the meat with paper towels, and season it generously with salt and pepper. Brush the grill with oil to keep the lamb from sticking, and grill on both sides until the internal temperature is 120 to 125 degrees for rare. This will take 40 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how hot the grill is. NOTE: it took us nowhere near that long to get a deliciously rare piece of meat. Maybe 20 minutes total.

Remove the lamb to a cutting board, cover with aluminum foil, and allow to rest for 20 minutes. Then slice and serve.