Celebrate Easter Sunday with a family favorite! Our stuffed leg of lamb recipe is a delightful main course that captures the essence of a British tradition. We’ve taken a boneless leg of lamb and filled it with a medley of our favourite ingredients, creating a truly special Easter centrepiece. This recipe caters to a smaller gathering, serving 3-4 people, but fear not, it can be effortlessly adjusted to accommodate larger crowds. Join us as we unravel the steps to craft our mouthwatering Apricot Stuffed Leg of Lamb.
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What is Easter all about at Somebody Feed Seb? Easter for us is not about chocolate. It’s about eggs, that we colour using onion skins to create little pieces of art. It’s about cooking a new lamb dish every year. And it’s about playing board games with the family with a big pot of tea (or wine) and some baked treats on the table. Overall, Easter for us is a holiday to relax and reflect.
How to Make Apricot Stuffed Leg of Lamb?
There are three elements: marinating the meat, making the stuffing, and assembling and roasting the lamb.
Day 1: Marinate the Boneless Leg of Lamb
Approximately 24 hours before cooking your lamb, marinate the meat. Place lamb flat on a cutting board skin side down. Trim any excess fat, but leave a thin layer of fatty skin. Using a small sharp knife, deeply slash the flesh a few times (about 1-inch-deep slits).
Place the lamb in a large bowl. Pour the white wine and oil all over. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf and rosemary sprig. Massage the meat gently for a few minutes. Roll it up with everything inside it and pop it into a large zip lock bag. Then pour the remaining marinade into the bag and seal it. Alternatively, place your rolled-up leg of lamb in an airtight box. Leave the meat to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
Day 2: Stuff & Roast
How to Make Apricot Stuffing for Lamb?
Lightly toast the pecans (or walnuts) in a dry frying pan, until starting to brown and smell all nutty. Leave the nuts to cool down slightly, then chop them up roughly. Nuts will add extra texture to your lamb stuffing.
Finely chop the fresh herbs. Cut the dried apricots into small pieces. Finely chop the onion. Then mix the herbs, onion, nuts and breadcrumbs together in a small bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Add white wine and olive oil and mix well.
Stuff the Leg of Lamb and Roast
Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan. Take the marinated lamb out of the fridge and place it on a clean work surface or a large cutting board. Spread the apricot and herb stuffing on the flesh side of the lamb leg in an even layer. Roll lamb to seal in the stuffing. Then tie the lamb joint with a piece of butcher’s twine (baker’s string).
Place the lamb joint in a roasting pan cut side down. Pour the rest of the marinade over the lamb together with the onions, garlic and herbs. Drizzle the top of lamb with some extra olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the stuffed lamb in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160° C Fan and cook for another 15-20 minutes. If you have an instant-read thermometer, the internal temperature of the thickest part of the lamb should be 70°C when cooked. Since the exact cooking time will depend on the size of the lamb roast and the preferred degree of doneness, a kitchen thermometer is always a handy tool.
Take the lamb roast out of the oven and cover it with a large sheet of foil. Let it rest for approx. 15 minutes. Discard strings of kitchen twine and carve!
Storage and Reheating
The stuffed leg of lamb can be kept at room temperature for up to 2 hours before it needs to be stored.
- Refrigerator Storage: Afterward, ensure the meat has cooled down completely. Store the stuffed leg of lamb in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freezing: For optimal results, freeze the entire stuffed leg of lamb. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before reheating. Once cooled, place the whole stuffed leg of lamb in a sealed container and freeze it for up to 2 months.
- Reheating: Start by preheating the oven to 150°C. Then, place the lamb on a baking sheet lined with foil and cover it with another piece of foil, creating a tent. Allow it to heat in the oven for around 10-12 minutes, or until the lamb is thoroughly warmed.
People Also Asked
Whilst we included parsley, sage and rosemary in this recipe, we feel that there are a number of other herbs that go equally well with lamb. Experiment with whatever you have and make different variations with thyme, mint and oregano as well.
My father-in-law taught me how to tie a roast, but if in doubt, I always watch the How to Tie a Roast with a String Video to remind myself of the proper technique.
In this recipe, there is no need to cover the leg of lamb with foil. The roast cooks at a higher temperature for 30 minutes only (then at a lower temperature for another 15-20), so it simply doesn’t have time to burn.
What To Serve With Stuffed Leg of Lamb?
If you are making a lamb roast for Easter dinner this year, make sure your side dishes impress just as much as the centrepiece. We think that potatoes are mandatory with any lamb roast, whether it’s a stuffed lamb leg or a slow cooker lamb shoulder, and some of our favourite potato side dishes include:
- Cheesy Potato Stacks
- Roast Swede (a.k.a. Roasted Rutabaga)
- Boulangere Potatoes
- Creamy Mashed Potato
- Hasselback Potatoes
Likewise, no Easter lamb roast would be complete without flavoursome veggies. Some of our go-to recipes are below:
Other Lamb Recipes
We don’t cook lamb all that often here at Somebody Feed Seb. It is somewhat reserved for special occasions. So here are our favourite lamb recipes:
Recipe Card
Apricot Stuffed Leg of Lamb
Equipment
- Small Roasting Tray
Ingredients
- 550 g boneless (butterflied) leg of lamb
For the Marinade:
- 25 ml olive oil
- 50 ml dry white wine
- 1 garlic cloves sliced into 4
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ red onion cut into wedges
- 1 rosemary sprig
- salt & pepper
For the Stuffing:
- 10 g parsley finely chopped
- 5 g sage finely chopped
- 5 g rosemary finely chopped
- 20 g breadcrumbs
- 30 g dried apricots chopped
- ½ red onion finely chopped
- 20 g walnuts or pecans toasted and chopped
- 1 tablespoon white wine
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
Day 1:
- Approx. 24 hours before cooking your lamb, marinate the meat. Place the lamb flat in a large bowl/ plate skin side down. Using a sharp knife, deeply slash the flesh a few times, but don't go through the skin.
- Pour the white wine and oil all over. Add the onions, garlic, bay leaf and rosemary sprig. Roll it up with everything inside and pop it into a large zip lock bag. Then pour the remaining marinade into the bag and seal. Alternatively, pop it into an airtight box. Leave the lamb to marinate in the fridge for 24 hours.
Day 2:
- Preheat the oven to 200°C Fan. Mix the chopped herbs, breadcrumbs, apricots, onions and pecans/walnuts in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Add a tablespoon of white wine and oil and mix well.
- Take the marinated lamb out of the fridge. Spread the herby apricot stuffing on the flesh-side of the lamb leg. Roll it to seal the stuffing. Then tie the lamb joint with the butcher's twine (baker's string).
- Place the lamb joint in a roasting tray seam side down. Pour the rest of the marinade over the lamb together with the onions, garlic and herbs. Drizzle the top with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 160° C Fan and cook for another 15-20 minutes. The internal temperature should be 70°C.
- Take the lamb roast out of the oven and cover with a large sheet of foil. Let it rest for approx 15 minutes before carving.
Notes
Nutrition
Mairead
I always serve lamb on Easter Sunday too – it’s also an Irish Easter tradition. Love this recipe and the apricot stuffing is perfect for a leg of lamb. Thanks for a wonderful recipe.
Ieva
You are most welcome! So glad you liked it!
Dijana
What a beautiful lamb! We usually only spit roast lamb, but this is a truly amazing and delicious recipe to make at home for any occasion!
Ieva
Thanks, Dijana! Really glad you enjoyed it! 🙂