Roast Leg of Lamb Marinated in Yogurt

This roasted leg of lamb in green yogurt marinade will become your new go-to!

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It’s hot outside, so I wouldn’t usually make a roasted leg of lamb. However, I was recipe testing and wanted to try something with a different flavor. This green yogurt marinade on the roasted lamb turned out to be so delicious that I knew I had to share it with you! I made briam roasted vegetables to go with it, and you can find that recipe here.

The marinade is full of scallions, fresh parsley, jalapenos, and it is to die for! I can’t wait for you to try it.

How to prepare lamb for the marinade?

Lamb is a fatty cut of meat, so I trim the excess fat while leaving just enough for flavor. Then, use a knife to poke slits into the lamb. The holes will all the marinade to get inside the meat, leaving you with a thoroughly marinated leg of lamb. Put the lamb in a large roasting pan, and you’re ready to pour on your marinade.

For maximum flavor, leave the lamb in the marinade meat side down and refrigerate overnight. Then, remove it from the fridge an hour before you’re ready to cook to let the lamb come closer to room temp before cooking. Remember, low and slow is the best when cooking a leg of lamb!

Why this will become your go-to lamb recipe

• Fall off the bone tender lamb
• Fresh yogurt marinade
• Slightly spicy
• Low and slow recipe for the oven or crockpot!

Ingredients

• Leg of lamb -bone-in, about 7-8 pounds
• Salt
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Ground cumin powder
• Dried oregano

The Yogurt Marinade:

• Garlic cloves -peeled
• Jalapeños –if you don’t like any heat, substitute one bell pepper
• Scallions –
• Fresh parsley
• Greek yogurt
• Water

What if I can’t find a leg of lamb?

I used a leg of lamb, but this delicious marinade would be perfect on beef, goat, or any cut of lamb as well. I know a lot of people that buy a whole animal and cut it into pieces. That will definitely work. If you like to cook low and slow in the crockpot, there would be no difference. You don’t have to cook it in the oven. It may even cut down on the heat in your kitchen in the summer.

How to make Roasted leg of lamb with Yogurt marinade

• Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.
• Place the lamb in a roasting pan and make a bunch of slits all over it. The slits will help the marinade flavor the inside of the meat as well. Season it with salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin powder.
• Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the yogurt marinade over the lamb and toss to coat.
• Cover the pan with parchment paper and then with foil.
• Bake for 4-5 hours or until the lamb is falling off the bone.

Serving

In the test kitchen, I made this with my Easy Briam Roasted Vegetables. It’s the Greek version of ratatouille, and it’s delicious! You could add soft bread, rice, and/or a Greek salad to make it your own. Enjoy this fresh lamb dish!

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Roast Leg of Lamb with Yogurt Marinade

Yield: Serves 6-8

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Ingredients

• 1 leg of lamb, bone-in, about 7-8 pounds
• salt, about 3 teaspoons or to taste
• freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
• 1-2 teaspoons ground cumin powder
• 1-2 teaspoons dried oregano

The Yogurt Marinade:

• 10 garlic cloves, peeled
• 2 jalapeños, optional (substitute 1 bell pepper)
• 7 scallions, cut in half
• 1 bunch of fresh parsley
• about 1 and 1/2 cups Greek yogurt
• 1 cup of water

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 °F, 180 °C.

Place the lamb in a roasting pan and make a bunch of slits all over it. This will help the marinade flavor the meat well. Season it ith salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin powder.

Combine all of the marinade ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour the yogurt marinade over the lamb and toss to coat.

Cover the pan with parchment paper and then with foil.

Bake for 4-5 hours or until the lamb is falling off the bone.

Serve with bread, rice, and Briam roasted vegetables. Kali Orexi!

Notes

For maximum flavor, marinade the lamb and refrigerate overnight.

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