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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Reverse-Sear Leg of Lamb with Garlic, Fennel and Herbs

8-10 Servings

5 hours 1 hour active

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The conventional way to cook a roast or thick steak so it develops a well-browned exterior is to sear it over high heat, then finish it the gentler heat of the oven. The reverse-sear method, which we use here, flips the order. We slow-roast a boneless leg of lamb until just shy of perfectly done, then blast it with high heat for browning. It’s an easy, hands-off method that results in meat with more even doneness from edge to center. We toss sliced Yukon Gold potatoes into the roasting pan under the lamb; they soak up the drippings and become an effortless, delicious side. A leave-in thermometer—the type that allows you to remotely monitor the food’s internal temperature as it cooks—is especially handy.

8-10

Servings

Tip

Don’t forget to allow the roast to stand at room temperature for an hour before cooking. This helps equalize the internal and external temperatures for faster and even more cooking.

5 hours

1 hour active

Ingredients

  • ¾

    cup lightly packed fresh oregano

  • ¼

    cup lightly packed fresh rosemary

Directions

Reviews
ANNA B.
July 19, 2026
Herbaceous and delicious
Really delightful and feeds a crowd. Left our the honey and didn't miss it.
Jenrap
January 13, 2026
So so Good
I had a bone in leg of lamb (4. 88 lb). so just smeared the mixture all over the leg of lamb. Also I only had dried herbs and no fennel. I used a teaspoon and 1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano and rosemary. keeping the same proportions. For the ground pepper I used a 1/4 teaspoon of already fine ground pepper. The rest of the rub ingredients were about the same. All I can say is the rub/mixture I used was great and would work on other meats like pork and chicken. My timing was a bit different with a bone, but using a digital thermometer helped get the correct finishing temp. The potatoes cooked in the lamb juice were great, just like my mother used to do for leg of lamb.
GAIL R.
January 26, 2026
Just OK -- bad timing
The rub was AMAZING while fresh. . . it was just OK when the lamb was cooked. Salt level was insufficient. Browning potatoes at the end finally required a high broiler. So timing was WAY off for me.
Jacqueline V.
April 5, 2026
Jacqueline
Excellent lamb recipe. Made it for Easter and the family really liked it. However 125 is going to give you very rare lamb. We cooked it till 135 giving a medium rare lamb. It was still plenty rare and not overcooked or over done. Would probably leave the honey out next time, wasn’t necessary, and didn’t actually care for the added sweetness to the meat.

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