Grilled or Broiled Butterflied Leg of Lamb
Instructions:
- There’s really little point in grilling a bone-in leg of lamb,
especially since butterflied leg is now often sold in supermarkets.
It’s not cheap, but it’s not that expensive either,
and it’s delicious, tender, and easy to cook. Even the
uneven thickness is an asset: Cook the thickest parts to
rare and you also get meat that is cooked to medium,
which is still quite moist and tender, so everyone’s happy.
The variation suggests only one of many possibilities
for spicing this lamb; see the list that follows for more
ideas. And if your lamb is larger than the recipe calls for,
simply increase the other ingredients proportionately or
cut off a chunk to freeze for later.
- One to 3- to 4-pound butterflied leg of lamb
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary leaves or 2 teaspoons dried rosemary
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Minced fresh parsley leaves for garnish
- Lemon wedges for serving
- Heat a charcoal or gas grill or the broiler until quite hot and put the rack at least 4 inches from the heat source. (Delay this step until you’re just about ready to cook if you choose to marinate the meat.) Trim the lamb of any excess fat.
- Mix together the olive oil, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and some salt and pepper; rub this mixture well into the lamb, being sure to get some into all the crevices. If you have the time, let the lamb sit for at least an hour (refrigerate if it will be much longer).
- Grill or broil the meat (best done in a roasting pan with a rack) until it is nicely browned, even a little charred, on both sides, about 20 to 30 minutes; the internal temperature at the thickest part will be about 125°F; this will give you some lamb that is quite rare and some that is nearly well done. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing thinly, as you would a thick steak. Garnish and serve with lemon wedges.
- Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Provençal Spices.
- For the herbs in Step 1, substitute 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried lavender, 1 teaspoon chopped fresh or dried rosemary, and 1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds.