Grilled Rosemary Leg of Lamb

My grocery lists tend to be on the “loose” side.  Sure, they always start with the basics….milk, juice, creamer, eggs, bread, fruit.  But after that I usually make some indication of how many nights worth of dinners I’ll need for the week, depending on our schedule.  “Dinner x3” or “Dinner x4” is what I write.  I do not plan actual meals in advance, but instead opt to see what looks good at the store that week.  Eggplant looking good?  Maybe a grilled eggplant parm one night.  Chicken breasts on sale?  Perhaps I’ll make a chicken stir-fry with whatever veggies are in season.  This week, boneless, butterflied leg of lamb was on sale, so I decided that would be on this week’s menu.  It helps to have an encyclopedia of recipes circulating around your head, but if you’re drawing a blank, I found a cool iPhone application called “All Recipes” where you type in an ingredient and it gives you several recipe ideas for that particular item.

Because my brain is still on vacation mode, I decided I’d grill my entire meal, including the leg of lamb.  Rosemary, garlic and lamb are a classic combination, so I plucked a few branches of rosemary from my outdoor herb garden, minced up some garlic, and slathered them both on my lamb along with some salt, pepper, and olive oil. 

I paired the meat with my favorite Garlic Grilled Potatoes, and did a grilled foil-packet version of my green beans and tomatoes (to which I added a pinch of the fresh rosemary as well).  Throw it all on the grill and you have a fabulous meal…keeping the heat and the mess all outside.  On this 90 degree day, that alone was worth its weight in gold!

Rosemary Grilled Leg of Lamb

Serves 4

2 lb boneless, butterflied leg of lamb

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

1-2 cloves of garlic, minced

olive oil

salt and pepper

In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, garlic and about a teaspoon of olive oil.  Rub all over the lamb and season generously with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

Preheat the grill to medium-high.  Place the lamb on the grill and reduce heat to medium. 

Grill for approximately 12-15 minutes, then flip over.  Grill an additional 12-15 minutes, then remove to a platter.  Allow to rest for about 10 minutes.  Slice and serve hot.

 

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Tags: lamb, rosemary