Pesto Roasted Lamb with Garlic Stuffed Olives

Are you planning a festive meal featuring leg of lamb? Here's a pro tip: you don't need to cover the lamb with foil while it roasts! However, if you're slow-roasting a shoulder cut, covering it with foil can help retain moisture during the longer cooking time. Just remember to remove the foil during the last 30 minutes of cooking to let the skin get nice and crispy. With these tips, your leg of lamb is sure to be a hit at your next celebration.

Ingredients: 

4-5 lbs. bone-in leg of lamb 

1 tablespoon Cyprus Flake Sea Salt 

1 tablespoon Pepe e Aglio Seasoning 

2/3 cup Genovese Pesto 

1 (6.9oz) jar Garlic Stuffed Queen Olives, drained 

1 tablespoon Roasted Garlic Infused Olive Oil 

1 tablespoon Basil Infused Olive Oil 

1 tablespoon Sicilian Lemon White Balsamic 

1 lemon, halved 

Garnish: rosemary sprigs, thyme sprigs, and basil leaves 

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350°F and line a roasting pan with aluminum foil. Pat the lamb leg dry with paper towels, truss with butchers twine, and thoroughly season with salt and seasoning. Cover the lamb with pesto and set aside to rest, at room temperature, for 30 minutes. 

Add garlic stuffed olives to the prepared roasting pan and drizzle with garlic oil, basil oil, and balsamic, toss to coat. Place the roasting rack, along with the seasoned lamb, on top of the olives (this will allow all those tasty lamb drippings to infuse with the olives), nestling the lemon halves on either side of the lamb. Place in the oven and roast for 80-90 minutes or until the internal temperature of the lamb has reached 135°F. For the last 10 minutes of the roast, increase the oven’s temperature to broil. Broil, rotating the roasting pan halfway through, until the lamb leg is nicely browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to rest for 15 minutes. Once rested, transfer the roast to a serving platter and arrange the olives, lemon, and garnishes around the lamb. Serve (optional) with the remaining pesto sauce on the side.