I believe I have roasted more legs of American lamb than most chefs. Quite often it was the most popular banquet dinner item on the menu where I was the Chef. A dinner for 140 people required 18+1 boneless legs of about 6 pounds each. One cooked leg would serve 8 guests and we always cooked one extra in case someone wanted more. We did at least 20 dinners a year like this; not to mention the craziness of Mother's Day and Easter--- lots of lamb cooked in a French way with rosemary, thyme and garlic, always medium-rare or "pink" as some called its doneness. My mother even cooked it this way and we aren't French. One thing I know is that it was never well done unless my uncle came for dinner, then only a small piece was specially cooked for him!

Here's 1 way I'm most familiar with---"gigot d'agneau romarin a la française", Roast leg of lamb with rosemary in the French manner.

1 boneless leg of lamb about 5-6 pounds
5 cloves garlic minced
5 cloves garlic roughly sliced
1/4 cup parsley minced
1/4 cup fresh rosemary, chopped
5 teaspoons Diamond Crystal Kosher salt or 1 teaspoon per pound of meat
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cups water
Preheat oven to 450 F

I always prefer American Lamb but it's become very expensive, so in some cases Australian Lamb might fit your budget. Open your package in your sink and rinse the meat quickly under ice cold water. Dry off the lamb with paper towels then spread it open, onto a cutting board, so the interior is facing up. You'll want to trim the leg of lamb's interior of any large excess fat pieces and grizzle. Drizzle with a tablespoon of olive oil, and season the lamb's interior with about half of the kosher salt, pepper, and rosemary. Then add all of the parsley and minced garlic to the interior, rubbing it into the meat.

Roll the leg of lamb into a cylinder and tie it tightly. I like to start in the center with a strong and firm tie and work outward. Look elsewhere for demos on how to truss a leg of lamb for roasting. Tie it every 1-2 inches to secure firmly.

Pierce small slits into the lamb's exterior and insert the garlic slices, about 15 slices. Coat the lamb with the remaining olive oil and season the exterior with the remaining salt, pepper, and rosemary.

In a large sauté pan/Dutch oven sear the lamb over medium-high heat so it's browned on all sides, about 8 minutes

Place the lamb in a roasting pan with a wire rack on top of mirepoix. Pour 1/2 cup of water into the pan. Roast the lamb for 15 minutes, and then turn the heat down to 350 F. Cook the lamb, turning once until the center of the lamb achieves 132 f for medium-rare after resting. Use a digital instant-read thermometer. The lamb should take about 18-20 minutes per pound to cook.

When the lamb is finished roasting, remove it to a plate, and let it sit lightly tented with foil for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile deglaze the roasting pan with water, simmer a few minutes and then strain off the jus to serve with the lamb.

Remove the twine and cut the lamb into slices.

And Now---Another way---is "arni fournou", Baked Lamb in the Greek fashion.

It was many years ago at a small Greek family restaurant that I experienced a different way of cooking lamb. I watched the chef take a baking pan from his oven, a piece of meat (Lamb) surrounded with quartered potatoes, lemon slices and a few onions within. He set it on the stove top and poured in a few cups of water and then covered it with aluminum foil. That's it, my baked lamb is ready for customers, he exclaimed. Gee I said to myself, the lamb looks awfully small, as he took it from the pan to slice an order. It's well done I said, "of course" said the chef, just the way we cook it back in Greece..."want a piece?" as he passed one to me on the end of his kitchen fork. It was tender and delicious albeit well cooked, I liked it but it had shrunk in weight due to cooking it this way. Yikes, lamb baked this way would only serve 6 guests, not an optimal way to achieve a sustainable food cost especially at a reasonable menu price. (You need to know these things as a chef!)

All things considered, It's a darn good tasting and satisfying way to cook leg of lamb for lunch or dinner. The potatoes and onions are roasted alongside with the combination of tomato paste, garlic and black pepper. It hits the spot even if it's well done. The water poured in the pan, with all the pan drippings, made a great jus accompaniment. The chef also served homemade thick Pita and Tzatziki (Greek cucumber and yogurt salad) --- "now we are talking", I said!

Here's how to make the baked lamb with potatoes and onions the Greek way as this Greek chef did. You're on your own for the green beans, Tzatziki, Dill and Pita.

Ingredients:

1 boneless leg of lamb, 5 ½ - 6 pounds, trimmed with fat left on
8 cloves garlic-almond size, cut in thick slivers
2 T fresh oregano leaves, whole
2 lemons, thick slices--- juice rubbed on lamb and juice mixed with potatoes
1 T Diamond Crystal Kosher salt
1 T ground black pepper
4 bay leaves, small golf ball size
1/2 cup Greek olive oil
¾ cup water
2^nd. step
10 Yukon gold potatoes, (tennis ball size) peeled, cut into quarters
2 cups onions, sliced
2 heaping tablespoons tomato paste, diluted in 1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon dry oregano
1 T parsley, chopped

Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F. Open a few gashes in the meat with a sharp knife's tip; push the slivered garlic and the amount of fresh oregano deep inside them. Place the meat in a large baking pan. Rub meat with lemons; season with salt and pepper. Place the bay leaves on the lamb. Baste meat with 1/2 of the olive oil. Pour ¾ cup water around the meat. Bake, 1 hour, turning once.

Add the potatoes and onions to the pan and stir well and place the lamb on top; pour the tomato-paste mixture and water over the lamb and potatoes. Sprinkle with remaining olive oil, the squeezed lemon slices and the dry oregano. Turn the heat down to 325 degrees F and bake, until internal temperature reaches 160 degrees - well done, be sure to turn the lamb on the other side halfway through the cooking time, about 2- 1/2 hours. Stir up the potatoes and onions a few times during this process (Potatoes need to be removed and kept warm in a serving dish before the last hour of cooking as not to overcook.)

Remove the lamb, let rest 15-20 minutes and then slice, placing on top of the potatoes, and pour the juices over the top, then sprinkle with chopped parsley. The salt level should be good, so let your guests add more at the table if they choose. Enjoy!