Lemon Herb Lamb Loin Roast
Ingredients
- 2 lb boneless lamb loin roast should be tied into a roll by the butcher, if not, roll and tie tightly with kitchen twine
- juice and zest of one lemon
- 5 sprigs’ worth of thyme leaves
- salt
- freshly ground black pepper
for the baking dish:
- 1-2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 springs rosemary
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 small bunch sage
- 1 lemon, sliced
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450.
- Sprinkle the lamb with lemon juice, thyme, salt and pepper. Place on a skillet and brown on all sides, about 15-20 minutes. The internal temperature should be around 85-90 at the center of the thickest part.
- Place the baking dish ingredients in a 1 1/2 quart shallow baking dish, with the lemons forming a single layer.
- Top with lamb and roast for 20 minutes or until the internal temperature is 125.
- Allow to sit a couple of minutes and slice.
I have to brag on myself now because I think this is the best lamb I have made. I’ve made lamb successfully before but lamb roasts aren’t something I see for sale often and I’ve mostly made ground lamb or chops so I don’t get a lot of practice. This one was right at Aldi so I thought why not.
It was already tied up so I didn’t have to worry with that. I know lot of lamb recipes have you stuff the lamb but to be honest, I am always a little skeptical. Sometimes stuffing meat (between the suggestive lamb photo and this term, I apologize) makes it more difficult to get it to the right temperature, especially at home using home equipment. I don’t think it always imparts that much flavor either.
This method though gave me the juiciest, most perfectly cooked lamb I’ve possibly ever had outside of some expensive restaurant. Having the aromatics and lemon in the bottom helped keep it from drying out and really did infuse it with flavor. The outside was perfectly crisp and the interior was precisely the right amount of doneness.
The best part? It only took about 40 minutes which puts it right about at my limit for a weeknight meat dish so you don’t have to save lamb for the weekends anymore.
This was so easy and so fantastic. I used a cast iron skillet and served it with roasted veggies.
I’m so happy you enjoyed it!
Hi! I got mine at Aldi too, and it’s pre-tied. So does this mean you left the fat all around it? I’m about to start it, but I imagine after 15-20 minutes browning in a pan, probably renders a lot of flavor and probably protects the meat, too?
Yes! I did but as I recall it wasn’t terribly fatty. It does render off.