Chef Jonh – a name to call mister John Mitzewich. He is famous American chef, blogger and TV celebrity. He usually uploads his cooking videos with his owned recipes on his blog and his Youtube channel. Chef John’s recipes are famous for their fineness and complexity. Today we would like to introduce one of his signature recipes: Roasted Leg of Lamb.
Ingredients (prep will take about 20 minutes)
- ¼ cup of Pomegranate Molasses
- 4 cloves of Garlic (minced)
- 1 tablespoon of Fresh Rosemary (chopped)
- 1 tablespoon of Kosher Salt
- 2 teaspoons of Ground Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon of Aleppo Pepper
- 1 teaspoon of Dried Mint
- 1 teaspoon of Ground Cumin
- 1 (5 pound) Boneless Leg of Lamb (butterflied)
- Kitchen Twine
- Salt (for seasoning)
- 1 tablespoon of Pomegranate Molasses
Cooking (cooking will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes)
Step 1 – make seasoning spice: Add ¼ cup of pomegranate molasses with 4 cloves of mince garlic, 1 tablespoon of fresh rosemary, 1 tablespoon of kosher salt, 2 teaspoons of ground black pepper, 1 teaspoon of Aleppo pepper, 1 teaspoon of dries mint and 1 teaspoon of ground mint into a bowl. Mix all the spices together.
Step 2 – marinate the lamb: Arrange the butterflied leg of lamb onto a flat surface (cutting board for example) and the fatty side should face upside down. Cut from the top to bottom of the slashes between the fleshes. Then flip the lamb and cut into 10 to 20 shallow slashes with the pattern across the surface of fat.
After that, spread ¾ portion of the pomegranate molasses mixture onto the lamb (meat side) until the mixture completely cover the fleshes. Then, fold the meat into a large piece and transfer it into a large bowl. Add the remaining mixture into the bowl, this time, make sure the pomegranate mixture cover the fatty side of the lamb too. Notice that you should spare some pomegranate molasses mixture for later. The wrap the bowl with plastic wrap and put the lamb into the fridge for about 8 hours to overnight. You should prepare step 1 and 2 a night before the meal so you can reduce the cooking time for the next day.
Step 4 – preheat the oven: Before you start cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Take out a roasting pan. Add the roasting rack into a pan.
Step 4 – bake the lamb: After a night or 8 hour in the fridge, take the bowl out of the fridge and transfer the lamb to a work surface. You should discard the excess seasoning mixture before take the lamb out of the bowl. Place the fatty side of the lamb upward. Cut an appropriately length of the kitchen twine and tie the center of the meat in order to keep the lamb stay in the shape. Then continue to tie the meat with 4 knots across the length of the lamb.
Sprinkle salt over the lamb. Make sure you don’t over-season the meat because we already added the Kosher salt in the marinate mixture before. Then transfer the meat to a roasting pan. Add about 1-inch of water below the rack of the roasting pan so that the water doesn’t touch the lamb.
When the meat is in the position, put the roasting pan into the preheated oven. Roast the lamb until we have a nice sear on the skin and pink juicy shining meat inside which will take about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Use a thermometer to check the meat temperature which the meat should have at least 135 degrees F (57 degrees C). When the lamb is done, remove it from the rack and transfer to a plate. Let the meat chill for about 15 minutes. Use a cooking brush and cover the lamb with remaining pomegranate molasses.
Step 5 – serve: The recipe can serve up to 8 portions, perfect for a family dinner or gathering. You can serve the lamb with some salad and side dishes. The dish should serve right after chilling to remain the flavor.
