Roast Leg Of Lamb For Passover Or Easter
Roast leg of lamb is hands down our favorite recipe to serve on Passover! Braised leg of lamb feels special and celebratory (it is!), but honestly it could not be more simple. The majority of the cooking is hands off — another reason this roast leg of lamb recipe gets our vote for holidays; you can focus on other side dishes while the oven takes over cooking! — and when it’s done? The lamb is juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender. If enjoying for Passover, be sure to serve it alongside our homemade matzo ball soup!
The best part is absolutely drenching the lamb in the braising liquid. It’s made from chicken stock, white wine, and has tons of flavor from garlic, rosemary, onions, and lemon. Totally scrumptious and always a showstopper!
Planning to enjoy this leg of lamb on Easter? We recommend serving this with a big bowl of warm couscous and feta, perfect for sopping up that white wine sauce.
Seriously, we’ve been making this for years. It is the best leg of lamb ever!
Ingredients For Roast Leg Of Lamb
- Bone-in leg of lamb
- Herbs and spices: Kosher salt, freshly ground black pepper, fresh rosemary
- Liquid: Chicken stock (or vegetable stock), and a dry white wine, such as Pinot Blanc
- Garlic, onions, lemon
- Extra virgin olive oil
You can absolutely make a roast boneless leg of lamb, but (1) it will not be nearly as flavorful — the bone adds so much flavor! — and (2) you’ll need to adjust the cook time. As a general rule, meats cooked on the bone take about 1 ½ – 2x as long to cook. There’s also a lower risk of overcooking the meat because, again, that bone keeps it nice and juicy!
How To Make Slow Cooked Leg Of Lamb
- Season the lamb. Preheat oven to 300 F. Season lamb on all sides with Kosher salt and black pepper.
- Sear the leg of lamb. Heat a large dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot over high heat until very hot, about 4 minutes. Add 4 Tbsp olive oil, then sear lamb on all sides, about 12 minutes total. Transfer lamb to a plate.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add white wine, chicken stock, garlic, rosemary, onions, and lemon zest, then use a wooden spatula to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Roast the lamb. Place lamb leg back in the pot, cover with a lid, then cook for 4 hours, basting the lamb with sauce every hour.
- Allow the meat to rest. Carefully transfer the lamb to a platter (it will fall apart!), then let rest about 10 minutes.
- Reduce the sauce. Meanwhile, strain the lamb jus into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, then reduce until thick, about 10 minutes.
- Shred the leg of lamb. Shred or pull apart lamb with two forks, then transfer to a platter. Serve with sauce on the side.
Recommended internal temperature for leg of lamb is 145 F. Don’t worry about the lengthy cook time — yes, 4 hours is a long time, but the lamb cooks slowly and at a low enough temperature that it gently breaks down the collagen which is what makes braised leg of lamb so impossibly fall-apart tender!
Tips For The Best Passover Lamb
- Make sure to use a bone-in lamb leg! Yes, you can roast boneless leg of lamb, but it won’t be as tender or have nearly as much flavor.
- Sear the lamb leg before roasting! Searing helps to create a deep golden brown crust (flavor!) and locks in the juices throughout cooking.
- Add enough liquid. If you don’t want to cook with wine, make sure to add enough other liquid — more chicken or vegetable stock, even water is fine! — to keep the lamb mostly submerged. Not only will this keep the lamb leg moist, but it makes the most wonderful sauce that you will want to spoon on top of lamb, potatoes, couscous, or just sop up with bread!
- Don’t skip on the aromatics! Things like fresh herbs versus dried make a huge difference when cooking. Go heavy on the fresh rosemary, it adds the most beautiful flavor that totally complements the pulled lamb.
We recommend the Thermapen MK4 to check for doneness on all meats!
What To Serve With Braised Leg Of Lamb
- Mashed potatoes: garlic mashed potatoes, mashed potatoes with sour cream, or red skin mashed potatoes are all great! Creamy polenta is another fantastic option!
- Roast carrots (we love these with Tandoori seasoning, but you can never go wrong with straight up roasted carrots!)
If you’re not observing Passover, slow cooked leg of lamb and couscous with feta is a match made in heaven! Don’t forget a crusty baguette for sopping up all of that fantastic white wine sauce!
I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve made this roast leg of lamb. It is so reliably delicious, and worthy of any and every special occasion meal! Tender, juicy, and the most wonderful meal to welcome spring. You can be confident serving this for Passover or Easter that it will blow your family away in the best way possible!
If you make this Roast Leg of Lamb recipe, please let us know by leaving a review and rating below!
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More Passover lamb recipes:
Prefer fish? We love serving slow roasted salmon on Passover (in addition to lamb!) because it’s our kids’ favorite. And 100% you need this toffee matzo crack recipe in your life! It is the absolute best (and easiest!) Passover dessert ever!
Roast Leg Of Lamb Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 (5 lb) leg of lamb, bone-in
- 2 Tbsp Kosher salt
- 2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 bottle dry white wine such as Pinot Blanc
- 1 cup chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 heads garlic whole heads sliced in half
- 1 large bundle fresh rosemary about 20 springs
- 2 onions halved but not peeled
- zest of 1 lemon
- Extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Season the lamb. Preheat oven to 300 F. Season lamb on all sides with Kosher salt and black pepper.
- Sear the leg of lamb. Heat a large dutch oven or other heavy bottom pot over high heat until very hot, about 4 minutes. Add 4 Tbsp olive oil, then sear lamb on all sides, about 12 minutes total. Transfer lamb to a plate.
- Add remaining ingredients. Add white wine, chicken stock, garlic, rosemary, onions, and lemon zest, then use a wooden spatula to scrape any brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Roast the lamb. Place lamb leg back in the pot, cover with a lid, then cook for 4 hours, basting the lamb with sauce every hour.
- Allow the meat to rest. Carefully transfer the lamb to a platter (it will fall apart!), then let rest about 10 minutes.
- Reduce the sauce. Meanwhile, strain the lamb jus into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed, then reduce until thick, about 10 minutes.
- Shred the leg of lamb. Shred or pull apart lamb with two forks, then transfer to a platter. Serve with sauce on the side.
This recipe looks very similar to my mother’s and I’m glad I found it because she recently passed away & I never had asked her to give me hers. I’ll definitely be making this for our Greek Orthodox Easter. Do you think that maybe adding some lemony potatoes towards the last hour of cooking would be fine? Thanks!
Very sorry to hear about the passing of your mother. Yes, you can absolutely add some lemony potatoes towards the end! Because the sauce ends up being strained at the end, just make sure to pull out the potatoes and separate them before you discard the herbs, garlic, onions, etc. It will be fantastic, I’m sure! Follow up with any additional questions, I hope you love it as much as we do! xo, Ari
I don’t have a Dutch oven ( it’s on my Christmas list) can I do this in a roasting pan with foil or crock pot?
Thanks!
Hi Shannon! Yes, a roasting pan covered tightly with foil will work as well. Just make sure it’s sealed well. Enjoy! xo, Ari