Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Greek-style Finishing Sauce
Butterflied leg of lamb with Greek-style finishing sauce is part of my 2026 ‘how I cook lamb’ series—but it isn’t something I’ve dug out of the family recipe box. For every lamb chop and roast lamb dinner on the table in Australia – there is the pork equivalent on the table in Canada. My first introduction to lamb was after I landed in Australia in 1984. And, in my twenties I didn’t have the budget for a whole leg of lamb, and I definitely didn’t have a rental kitchen set-up—or an oven I trusted—to pull off a proper roast.
Equipment
- Roasting pan
- Instant read thermometer
- Microplane (or citrus zester)
- Spice grinder (optional, but best for the sauce)
Ingredients
Roast lamb:
- 1.5 kg – 2kg easy carve leg of lamb
Greek lamb finishing sauce:
- 2 large lemons
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1 fresh bay leaf (or dry)
- 3 small sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 sprigs dried Greek oregano
- 2 anchovy fillets
- 125 ml apple cider vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons honey
- 2-3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
Get organised:
- Take the lamb out of the fridge so it can come to room temperature before roasting. This helps it cook evenly, especially at high heat.
Make the Greek lamb finishing sauce:
- Strip the leaves and blossoms from the dried Greek oregano sprigs.
- Measure out 2 tablespoons of oregano leaves/blossoms for the sauce and set aside any extra for serving.
- Add the sea salt, black peppercorns, bay leaf, 2 tablespoons of dried Greek oregano, rosemary leaves, and anchovy fillets to a spice grinder (or bullet blender).
- Grind until finely chopped, then tip into a small mixing bowl.
- Add 2 tablespoons honey, then crush the garlic cloves into the bowl.
- Zest 2 lemons over the bowl using a microplane.
- Juice the lemons. Measure 125ml lemon juice, then add it to the bowl along with 125ml apple cider vinegar and 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil. Stir well with a spoon.
- Taste and adjust the honey, salt and lemon juice as needed. Set aside so it’s ready at the oven.
Roast the butterflied lamb:
- Preheat the oven to 250°C fan forced.
- Place the butterflied lamb pieces in a roasting pan and roast on the middle rack.
- Start checking the smaller piece after 10 minutes. Use an instant-read thermometer and remove each piece as it reaches your preferred “remove from oven” temperature.
Temperature guide:
- Rare: remove at 45–47°C, final goal 52°C.
- Medium: remove at 53–55°C, final goal 60°C.
- Well done: remove at 64–66°C, final goal 71°C.
Finish and rest:
- As each piece comes out of the oven, immediately baste it several times with the Greek lamb finishing sauce.
- Rest the lamb for 10–15 minutes before slicing and serving.
Just before you cook with abandon…
Dried Greek oregano: This lamb finishing sauce lives or dies on dried Greek oregano. The common fresh or dried oregano available in Australia can’t compete with the aromatic, intense flavour you get from the dried Greek stuff on the stem.
Finishing sauce, not a table sauce: The Greek lamb finishing sauce is designed to be brushed on the lamb as it comes out of the oven so the garlic cooks on contact and the herbs stay lively, not scorched.
Spice grinder: A spice grinder gives you the best texture and flavour release (a bullet-style blender also works). Grind the hard and woody bits first (peppercorns, salt, bay leaf, rosemary and oregano), then stir in the honey, garlic, zest and liquids by hand.
Anchovies: Two fillets won’t make it taste “fishy”. They just add savoury depth in the background, which is exactly what you want against hot roast lamb.
Carryover cooking is real: The lamb’s internal temperature keeps rising once it comes out of the oven. With smaller pieces, expect around a 5–7°C rise and the large piece about 5°C, so pull each piece at the “remove from oven” temperature, not the final goal temperature.
Resting: Give the lamb 10–15 minutes to rest before slicing. You’ll get juicier meat and cleaner slices, and the finishing sauce has time to settle into the surface.
Adjusting the balance: Taste the finishing sauce and adjust the honey, salt, and lemon juice. Keep the extra virgin olive oil in the background—the brightness and acidity of the lemon and apple cider vinegar should be doing the work.
Tablespoon size: My tablespoon measures are 15ml (not the larger 20ml Australian tablespoon).