Easter Sheet-Pan Leg of Lamb with Potatoes and Carrots
- Savory
- No rush
- Oven
Leg of lamb roasted on a tray with potatoes, carrots, garlic and rosemary, basted with white wine until the edges caramelize and the meat stays juicy. A hands-off Easter centrepiece.
- Total
- 1 h 40
- Prep 20 · Cook 65 · Rest 15
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Roasting · Resting meat
Instructions
-
Heat the oven to 220°C. Peel the potatoes and cut them into 3 cm chunks. Peel the carrots and cut them into 3 cm lengths, halving any thick pieces lengthwise. Peel the garlic cloves and lightly crush them with the flat of a knife.
~15 min
Cutting the vegetables to an even 3 cm means they cook at the same rate, so nothing turns to mush before the lamb is done.
-
Pat the leg of lamb dry with paper towel and season all over with 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper. Rub 1 tbsp olive oil over the surface.
~5 min
A dry surface lets the lamb brown rather than steam, and the oil helps the seasoning cling and conduct heat evenly.
-
Toss the potatoes, carrots and garlic with the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tsp salt and 0.5 tsp black pepper. Spread them in a single layer in the roasting tray and set the lamb on top, fat side up. Tuck 2 rosemary sprigs under the lamb and scatter the rest over the vegetables.
~5 min
A single layer lets hot air circulate so the vegetables caramelize instead of steaming, and the lamb on top bastes them as it roasts.
-
Roast for 20 minutes, until the lamb is browned on top and the vegetables begin to colour at the edges.
~20 min
The initial high heat drives off surface moisture so the lamb browns through the Maillard reaction, building deep roasted flavour.
Roasting Roast at high heat first to brown, then lower the heat to cook through gently. Watch the edges for colour rather than opening the oven repeatedly, which drops the temperature.
-
Pour the white wine into the tray around the lamb, not over the crust. Lower the oven to 180°C and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the lamb reaches 63°C at the thickest point on an instant-read thermometer and the potatoes and carrots are tender when pierced with a knife.
~40 min
The wine dissolves the browned juices stuck to the tray into a pan sauce, while the lower heat finishes the meat gently without drying it.
The wine goes in only after the first high-heat blast: added at the start it steams the crust instead of letting it brown, and poured around the meat it deglazes the tray without washing off the seasoning.
Roasting Roast at high heat first to brown, then lower the heat to cook through gently. Watch the edges for colour rather than opening the oven repeatedly, which drops the temperature.
-
Lift the lamb onto a board, tent loosely with aluminium foil and rest for 15 minutes. Return the tray of vegetables to the oven to keep warm while the meat rests.
~15 min
Resting lets the juices redistribute through the meat so they stay in the slices instead of running out onto the board.
If the lamb is ready before the vegetables, move the meat to the board and give the tray 5 to 10 more minutes at 200°C, checking the carrots with a knife rather than the clock.
Resting meat Tent loosely and rest the lamb for 15 minutes so juices redistribute. A tight wrap traps steam and softens the crust; a loose tent keeps it crisp.
-
Carve the lamb against the grain into slices about 1 cm thick. Spoon the pan juices over the meat and serve with the roasted potatoes and carrots.
~5 min
Slicing across the grain shortens the muscle fibres, so each slice cuts and chews more tenderly.
