Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Feta

Closeup of butterflied leg of lamb with rosemary and feta sliced on plate

Spring is a time of transition. Fashion and food start to change. Some of the heavy coats and sweaters get put away. We think about lighter clothes… and lighter food. Still, it’s not quite time to be fully committed to our summer wardrobe, or summer cooking. With spring on the way, I started to think about what would work for an elegant meal and mark the beginning of the season. Sometimes you still need the feel of a warm sweater on a cool spring day. Butterflied Leg of Lamb seemed to fill the bill. Made from a boneless leg of lamb and stuffed with rosemary, feta, and garlic, this recipe is a beautiful way to mark the new season. Versatile enough to be roasted in the oven or cooked on the grill on a summer day. A boneless lamb roast is a perfect transitional dish.

So What is Lamb? And Why do we Associate it with Spring?

Britannica tells us Lamb are what we call sheep before the age of one year. Mutton refers to the flesh of the mature ram or ewe at least one year old; the meat of sheep between 12 and 20 months old may be called yearling mutton. The meat of sheep 6 to 10 weeks old is usually sold as baby lamb, and spring lamb is from sheep of five to six months.

A part of the reason that lamb is associated with spring is its appearance on holiday tables on Easter or Passover. However, lamb’s history can be traced back to paganism long before these holidays even existed. The term “spring lamb” is really a reference to when the lambs are born. Their meat is actually harvested 3 to 4 months later, in the late summer or early autumn. So in the US, if you buy lamb in the spring it is likely from Australia or New Zealand.

What is Butterflied Lamb?

A “butterflied” leg of lamb is a lamb leg that has had the bone removed. The thick piece of meat that remains is then cut so that it is spread out into a thinner and larger surface. Note that “butterflying” a piece of meat is not a term that is unique to lamb, as almost any kind of thick cut of meat can be butterflied.

Butterflied Cuts Make Great Roulade

I love butterflied cuts as they lend themselves to another preparation, roulade. Simply stated a roulade is any cut of meat that has been butterflied, filled with a stuffing, then rolled and tied. And yes a jelly roll is a roulade, but we are focusing on the savory type of roulade. Another recipe that shows the roulade technique is our Stuffed Pork Roulade. You can find it on our YouTube video page. The video even shows you how to butterfly a piece of meat!

For our boneless leg of lamb we are making a nod to Greek flavors by stuffing the lamb roast with rosemary, feta cheese, and garlic. To impart additional Greek flavors, the butterflied lamb is marinated in a mixture that brings tastes we might associate with a Greek Salad Dressing. In fact, I realized after I tasted the marinade the recipe could in fact be used on a salad.

Also, if you don’t want to go down the roulade route, you could just marinate the lamb and throw it on the grill as is!

Ingredients for Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Feta Cheese

Some people love mint jelly with lamb. I wanted to serve this Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Feta in a way that gives a shout-out to the traditional mint sauce but in a new way. Check out the Piquillo Pepper Mint Sauce. It really makes the plate… and the taste pop!

Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Rosemary and Feta

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Recipe by Mark Michalski Course: MainDifficulty: Moderate
Servings

4

servings

An elegant and versatile boneless lamb roast that can be used year-round and either in a formal or casual setting.

Ingredients

  • TO MARINADE THE LAMB
  • 1/2 1/2 Onion (peeled and roughly chopped)

  • 1 TSP 1 Dried Thyme (or 1 TBSP Fresh)

  • 1 TSP 1 Dried Oregano (or 1 TBSP Fresh)

  • 1 Clove 1 Garlic (peeled)

  • 1 TSP 1 Salt (Kosher)

  • 1/4 TSP 1/4 Fresh Ground Black Pepper

  • 1/2 CUP 1/2 Olive Oil

  • 2-2.5 LB 2-2.5 Lamb Leg – Butterflied

  • FINAL ASSEMBLY and COOKING
  • 1 TBSP 1 Fresh Rosemary (chopped)

  • 1 Clove 1 Garlic (peeled and chopped Fine)

  • Salt and Pepper (to taste)

  • 1/4 1/4 Feta Cheese (crumbled)

  • 1 TSP 1 Lemon Zest

  • Heavy Kitchen Twine (cut into 4 one foot long pieces)

  • 2 TBSP 2 Olive Oil

Process

  • FOR THE MARINADE
  • Place onion, thyme, oregano, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper into the bowl of a food processor. Pulse 2 or three times to roughly chop.Lamb marinade to be mixed in food processor
  • Turn on the processor. Slowly drizzle olive oil through the processor cover port until oil is incorporated and a salad dressing-like consistency is achieved. (Pro Tip: You can actually use this part of the recipe as a salad dressing)
  • Place lamb in shallow baking dish. Pour marinade over lamb. Flip a few times with a fork to completely cover. And since you have a fork in your hand, poke some holes in the lamb to help the marinade sink in. Cover dish with plastic wrap. Set in refrigerator overnight (or at least 4 hours) (Pro Tip: Flipping the lamb in the marinade a few times to help distribute more evenly)
  • FOR FINAL ASSEMBLY and COOKING
  • Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C)
    Conversion Formula:
    (400°F − 32) × 5/9 = 204.444°C
  • Chop rosemary and garlic. Zest lemon.
  • Place the lamb onto a cutting board with “rough-cut” side facing up. (Note: this is the inside part of the leg where the bone was removed. You can tell as it will not be as smooth as the “dress” side and may have a few bits of fat and sinew showing. Wipe off excess marinade. Trim off any excess sinew but not fat.
  • Sprinkle rosemary, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper evenly onto the side of the lamb facing you. Distribute feta cheese on top, leaving about a 1/2″ border all around. The border will help to retain the cheese when rolling in the next step.Butterflied lamb leg being stuffed with rosemary, garlic, lemon and feta cheese
  • Starting at the short side, carefully roll the lamb up like a jelly roll. Place seam side down. Using the 4 pieces of kitchen twine tie off the lamb roll by sliding the twine under the roll and tying tight from the top. Be sure to distribute each tie to hold the roll together evenly.
  • Sprinkle salt and pepper all over outside of the lamb. Swirl 2 TSBP olive oil into a saute pan over medium-high heat. When oil shimmers place lamb seam side down into the hot pan. Sear until nicely browned (2-3 minutes). Rotate and repeat until seared all over.
  • Insert oven safe meat thermometer into the middle of the roll. Set thermometer to 125°F (52°C).
    Conversion Formula:
    (125°F − 32) × 5/9 = 51.667°C

    (Note: if you do not have an oven-safe thermometer you should check the temp after 20 minutes and every 5 minutes thereafter with a handheld version. I like this handheld thermometer.)

    If cooking on a grill, see Note 1.
  • Place a rack onto a sheet pan. Place the lamb onto the rack and place it into the oven. Seared lamb on rack with thermometer probe probe
  • When the alarm (or a hand help probe) indicates desired temp, remove the lamb from the oven.
    Cover loosely with foil and let sit for at least 15 minutes. (Note: Resting time is extremely important to let the juices in the meat redistribute. Want to know why?)
  • Carve across the grain into 1″ thick slices. Place on a platter and serve. (Shown with Piquillo Pepper Mint Sauce)

Notes

  • Note 1: If cooking this recipe on the grill, set up your grill for 2 zone cooking. Skip the pan-searing step and go right to the grill. sear the outside of the lamb on a very hot section of the grill. After the lamb is seared, move to the cooler part of the grill, rotating occasionally until the internal temperature reaches 125°F. Let rest before carving.

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