Crispy Baked Lamb Recipe from Spain

Many times it happens that we are eating dishes with the typical beef, chicken, or fish meat every day of the week, but have you ever wanted to expand your taste horizons?

You can start exploring with this delicious baked lamb. In this recipe, the leg of lamb is the main star, and contrary to what people may say, this type of meat is very tender and has a strong and flavourful taste.

Stay tuned, as you’ll learn more about the history of this dish, how to cook lamb, and some extra tips that will make the cooking, serving, and storing process much easier. 

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Background of the Dish

The baked lamb, like other baked meats, was among the first dishes made by humans once they discovered that they could cook meat with fire. 

So it shouldn’t surprise you that there is some kind of instinct that binds you to roasted meat.

In the South of Spain, the predominant type of meat is lamb, so there are hundreds of lamb recipes, although baked lamb is a staple one. 

It is easy to make, it only calls for a few ingredients, and you can even make it just with the leg of lamb and salt and pepper. 

In Andalusia, this dish has existed for centuries, but only the members of the Royalty could eat it.

Therefore, it was made for official banquets and served to the most prestigious guests. 

So, if you are looking to eat like a king, put on your kitchen apron and prepare this baked lamb recipe.

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Things You’ll Need for Baked Lamb

To make this leg of lamb recipe, you only need one oven-safe pan that can hold the lamb. 

It should be a deep pan, this way the baked lamb will be able to hold all the juices without making a mess in your oven.  

Besides that, feel free to try other wonderful Andalusian recipes, such as the grilled prawns or the Spanish meatballs recipe, which will surely become some of your favorites. 

Ingredients

• 1 (1.5kg) leg of lamb 
• 2 cups (500ml) Jerez wine (sherry wine)
• 1 cup (240ml) olive oil
• 1 rosemary sprig
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste

How to Make Baked Lamb – Step by Step Guide

1. To start with this lamb leg roast recipe, grab an oven-safe deep pan, and place the leg of lamb. Then sprinkle salt and pepper on top, add the rosemary, and spread the olive oil.

2. Then pour the sherry wine on top and cook in a preheated oven at 200º C (390°F), for 60 minutes.

3. If it is too dry, or if you want it to have a stronger sherry taste, then you can add a little bit more sherry wine.

4. Once you reach the last 10 minutes of cooking, raise the oven temperature to 230ºC (450°F) for the leg of lamb to reach a golden brown color. And that’s it, your lamb roast is ready. 

Substitution of Ingredients

Generally, the baked lamb recipes are very easy to make and don’t require many ingredients, since the lamb is the main star. 

However, this does not mean that you can’t let your creativity run wild and add different ingredients.

You can take inspiration from other Andalusian recipes to add different ingredients. 

For example, from the famous roast suckling pig recipe, you can take the lard, and use it in this recipe instead of the olive oil. 

It’ll give an amazing crispy outside to your baked leg of lamb.

Besides that, you can add other vegetables or spices, just like you would do with the Spanish garlic chicken. 

This means that you can add a ton of minced garlic to give that new flavor profile to the classic baked lamb. 

Tips on Serving Baked Lamb

The lamb leg is one of my favorite dishes because if you are a meat lover you can eat it on its own and you will be satisfied. 

Anyway, if you make this lamb roast recipe, different side dishes are the perfect combination.

The most classic option is to make lamb and potatoes. All you have to do is put in the same pan you cook the lamb in (or another if it doesn’t fit), some diced potatoes, and cook everything together. 

It’s better if you can do everything in one, as it will absorb the flavor of the lamb.

If you want to serve a dipping sauce as well, we encourage you to try the Spanish garlic sauce, which goes perfectly with the baked lamb.

If you love lamb meat, don’t hesitate to try the traditional Spanish lamb stew, for a hearty and delicious dinner recipe.

How to Store the Baked Lamb

Like other Spanish lamb recipes, this one is also very easy to store in case you have some leftovers, or you like to do the meal prep.

To save it all you have to do is roast lamb, and then you can store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. 

Otherwise, you can also freeze it for up to 1 month, just make sure to cover it well with a clean plastic bag so it doesn’t get the freezer taste.

Recipe Card: Baked Lamb Recipe

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